An international consortium of researchers has devised a novel strategy for developing rapid, inexpensive diagnostic tests for microbial infections.
Effective treatment of microbial infection is critically dependent on early diagnosis and identification of the causative organism. One inexpensive, rapid and adaptable to point-of-care diagnostic method is immunoassay for microbial antigens that are shed into bodily fluids during infection. A major barrier to developing these diagnostics is determining which of the hundreds or thousands of antigens produced by the pathogen are actually present in patient samples in detectable amounts.
Using a technique they call In vivo Microbial Antigen Discovery (InMAD),the researchers amplifed the small signals present in an infected mouse's blood by purifying serum samples and using them to immunize another mouse. The resulting "InMAD immune serum" from the second mouse, which contains antibodies specific for the soluble microbial antigens present in sera from the infected mice, is then used to probe blots of bacterial lysates or bacterial proteome arrays.
The spots on the blot or the array that light up indicate the antigens to which the mouse immune system reacted. These are the antigens that could be targeted in an immunoassay.
Using the InMAD system, they successfully identified antigens that could be used in rapid diagnostics for the biothreats Burkholderia pseudomallei and Francisella tularensis.
The research was published in mBio, an open access online journal published by the American Society for Microbiology to make microbiology research broadly accessible.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.