We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




New Test Reveals Existing Antibiotics Can Cure Superbugs

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 02 May 2023

A new test has revealed that FDA-approved antibiotics, readily available at local pharmacies, can effectively combat superbugs. More...

These antibiotics are not prescribed due to the gold-standard test indicating their inefficacy. This novel test could revolutionize the development, testing, and prescription of antibiotics, playing a crucial role in the battle against bacterial resistance by optimizing the use of existing antibiotics and bolstering the search for new ones.

The antibiotic study by a team of scientists at UC Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) tackled a fundamental issue in the current healthcare approach to determining antibiotic resistance, which fails to consider the environmental conditions within the body that influence drug efficacy. By replicating these conditions, the new test pinpointed several effective antibiotics that standard testing had dismissed. When both the new and standard tests concurred, a near-perfect prediction of treatment success or failure emerged. The study involved extensive screening of over 500 antibiotic-bacteria combinations, with the findings indicating that the standard test is inaccurate approximately 15% of the time. Since doctors depend on this test to guide treatment decisions, it may result in the prescription of inappropriate antibiotics.

Medical professionals are aware of the gold-standard test's limitations. When the suggested antibiotics prove ineffective, physicians must draw upon their experience to determine the most suitable antibiotic(s) for their patients. This study offers a potential solution to bridge the gap between the antibiotics suggested by standard testing and actual patient outcomes. The new test could lead to substantial cost savings for the healthcare sector as they endeavor to identify novel drugs to combat antimicrobial-resistant infections.

“Reevaluation of FDA-approved antibiotics may be of far greater benefit than the time and cost of developing new drugs to combat antimicrobial resistance,” explained Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital physician Lynn Fitzgibbons, M.D., “potentially leading to significant life-savings and cost-savings.”

Related Links:
UC Santa Barbara 


Gold Member
Antipsychotic TDM Assays
Saladax Antipsychotic Assays
Portable Electronic Pipette
Mini 96
New
Pipette
Accumax Smart Series
New
Automated MALDI-TOF MS System
EXS 3000
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The study has linked blood proteins to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Could Detect Proteins Linked to Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Loss

Alzheimer’s disease has long been associated with sticky amyloid plaques in the brain, but these markers alone do not fully explain the memory loss and cognitive decline patients experience.... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: An adult fibrosarcoma case report has shown the importance of early diagnosis and targeted therapy (Photo courtesy of Sultana and Sailaja/Oncoscience)

Accurate Pathological Analysis Improves Treatment Outcomes for Adult Fibrosarcoma

Adult fibrosarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy that develops in connective tissue and often affects the limbs, trunk, or head and neck region. Diagnosis is complex because tumors can mimic... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Conceptual design of the CORAL capsule for microbial sampling in the small intestine (H. Mohammed et al., Device (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100904)

Coral-Inspired Capsule Samples Hidden Bacteria from Small Intestine

The gut microbiome has been linked to conditions ranging from immune disorders to mental health, yet conventional stool tests often fail to capture bacterial populations in the small intestine.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.