A team of researchers based at the Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) have come up with a new test that can diagnose bacterial meningitis rapidly and with a high degree of accuracy. The test is conducted on cerebrospinal fluid and levels of a protein called CRP are measured. This same protein is also currently relied upon when diagnosing many other bacterial infections.
The UMC team found that high CRP levels in cerebrospinal fluid are a highly reliable pointer to the presence of bacterial meningitis. At the moment, treatment for bacterial meningitis is often delayed because a lot of time passes before a diagnosis of the disease can be made. This study could change that and allow treatment to be administered early once a definitive diagnosis can be made by doctors.
Prompt diagnosis is especially crucial in bacterial meningitis because this disease is life-threatening and claims the life of one out of every six people infected. Additionally, at least 50% of the people who survive this disease suffer residual symptoms of the illness. It is therefore important for the disease to be diagnosed and treated promptly.
Matthijs Brouwer, a UMC neurologist who was part of the research team, explains that before their study, there was no diagnostic test that could quickly distinguish bacterial meningitis from other conditions which manifest in the same way.
The researchers knew that current blood tests measure CRP while testing for bacterial infections. However, it wasn’t clear whether the same protein can be tested for using cerebrospinal fluid, and what diagnostic value it could provide. The team conducted lab tests which revealed that the existing equipment targeting CRP could also be used to test for this protein in cerebrospinal fluid.
From June 2024, the researchers started using their new test during their work at the university medical center. This field use proved the reliability of the test because all the patients found with bacterial meningitis showed high levels of CRP when their cerebrospinal fluid was tested.
To further validate the test, the Aalborg University Hospital found in Denmark also tested for CRP in cerebrospinal fluid of pediatric and adult patients. These tests were consistent with what the UMC team found at their facility.
One key benefit of this test is that any medical facility which currently has equipment testing for CRP can immediately start testing cerebrospinal fluid without requiring any additional equipment or lab inputs. Results confirming bacterial meningitis can be obtained just 30 minutes after an epidural is conducted to obtain a cerebrospinal fluid sample. Treatment can therefore start quickly after diagnosis.
Brouwer revealed that they could never have known that a new test could be widely used to test patients barely a year after that diagnostic test was discovered.
These findings illustrate the remarkable strides that are being made in the field of infectious diseases research. Given that many companies like Soligenix Inc. (NASDAQ: SNGX) and other organizations are conducting various studies in this field, it won’t be surprising when other breakthroughs are announced in quick succession.
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