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Surgeons identify antibiotic-resistant Staph infections with Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy can be used to detect strains of Staphylococcus aureus — including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — reducing unnecessary treatment of infections already resistant to antibiotics, according to a study published in the Journal of American College of Surgeons.
“Our findings suggest that Raman spectroscopy can identify the infection earlier and save money by treating the infection quicker instead of hoping an antibiotic is working and then switching when it doesn’t,” Amy R. Spencer, MD, stated in a release.
Spencer and colleagues used Raman spectroscopy on 120 spectral patterns from four strains of Staphylococcus aureus to determine whether the technique could differentiate bacteria that were susceptible to antibiotics. Two bacteria were strains of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and one was a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain. The last strain researchers used was resistant to all antibiotics except vancomycin (RVS-MRSA).
The technique allowed researchers to distinguish between the MSSA from the MRSA strains with 90.2% accuracy; it was also able to differentiate MRSA and RVS-MRSA strains with 96.3% accuracy. Researchers then compiled the information into a database and created a model of the Raman spectra, which then allowed them to identify the four Staphylococcus aureus strains with 98% accuracy.
Spencer said this method will not be limited to just Staphylococcus aureus infections.
“Our goal is to map out as complete a number of pathogens and pathogenic organisms as we can, starting with the most pertinent ones first and, as we get further into it, the ones you don’t see very often,” she said.
The next step is to reduce the large table-top devices and portable robots that utilize this technique. This would reduce both the cost of the device and the size of the device, Spencer said. A handheld device, which would be about the size of two or three cell phones, would cut down the time analyzing test results from several hours to about 10 minutes, according to the release.
Reference:
- Spencer AR, Klein MD, Ang JY, et al. Staphylococcus aureus identification and antibiotic resistance determination using raman spectroscopy. J Am Coll Surg. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2011.06.104.
