Antibiotics under control

A technology for assessing the level of antibiotics in the body by breathing has been created

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

The new test turned out to be as accurate as the blood test. In the future, breathing into a tube may be enough to determine the dosage of drugs and the duration of the course of treatment already in the doctor's office. The new test turned out to be as accurate as the blood test. In the future, breathing into a tube may be enough to determine the dosage of drugs and the duration of the course of treatment already in the doctor's office.

German researchers from the University of Freiburg have demonstrated for the first time that the concentration of antibiotics in the body can be determined by breathing using a new biosensor. Until now, scientists have been able to detect only traces of antibacterial drugs, but now the diagnosis can become much more accurate and simple.

The article by Ates et al Biosensor-Enabled Multiplexed On-Site Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antibiotics is published in the journal Advanced Materials – VM.

The biosensor is developed on the basis of synthetic proteins that react to antibiotics even in minimal concentrations in exhaled air droplets. The scientists compared the results with blood, urine and saliva samples from pigs and demonstrated that the accuracy of the breath test was similar to the indicators in the blood.

The breath test is important for clinical practice.

For example, in severe conditions such as sepsis or organ failure, doctors need to maintain a stable level of antibiotics in the body, and any deviation can lead to irreversible consequences, as well as provoke the development of resistance.

"Rapid monitoring of antibiotic levels will be a huge advantage in the hospital. Perhaps it will be possible to integrate the biosensor into a regular mask for patients," commented co–author Seren Ates.

For patients with a milder form of infectious diseases, the new test will become a simple tool for determining the dosage of drugs right in the doctor's office.

Perhaps in the long term, the new test will be able to reduce the continuously growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics against the background of frequent prescribing of drugs.

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