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New Test Can Rapidly & Accurately Diagnose Bacterial Meningitis

The AHA! Team — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 05:36:55 +0000

Amsterdam University Medical Center via News-Medical – The distinction between bacterial meningitis and similar conditions is often difficult for doctors. Until now, reliable diagnostic tests that could quickly distinguish were lacking. Researchers at Amsterdam UMC have developed a new diagnostic test that can quickly and accurately diagnose bacterial meningitis. The test measures the CRP protein in cerebrospinal fluid, a protein that is already often tested in blood to detect bacterial infections. Research shows that elevated CRP in cerebrospinal fluid is a very reliable indicator of bacterial meningitis. Currently it often takes a long time before meningitis is diagnosed, which delays the start of adequate treatment. The study is published today in The Lancet Regional Health Europe. Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening condition in which one in six patients die and half of the survivors have residual symptoms. Thus, prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial. The distinction between bacterial meningitis and similar conditions is often difficult for doctors. Until now, reliable diagnostic tests that could quickly distinguish were lacking.” – Matthijs Brouwer, last author and Amsterdam UMC neurologist Reliable indicator Researchers at Amsterdam UMC have discovered that the CRP protein in cerebrospinal fluid is a very reliable indicator of bacterial meningitis. CRP is already frequently tested in blood to detect bacterial infections, but the value of this test in cerebrospinal fluid had not been well researched until now. After previous successful laboratory tests, the researchers now showed that the device that measures CRP in blood is also sensitive enough to measure CRP in cerebrospinal fluid. “It is a huge gain that the existing infrastructure of the laboratory can be used for the CRP measurements in cerebrospinal fluid. As a result, the test result is already known half an hour after the epidural and the correct treatment of the patient can therefore be started quickly,” says Brouwer. Daily practice Since June 2024, the new test has been used in the daily practice of the Amsterdam UMC. In the study published today, researchers describe how the test was introduced and how effective it is in practice. “Our results show that all patients with bacterial meningitis had an elevated CRP in their cerebrospinal fluid. This was the case in only a few patients without bacterial meningitis, ” adds Brouwer. The test also proved reliable in additional studies in children and patients from at Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark. Broad application in hospitals It is expected that more hospitals will adopt the test, because it can easily be performed in laboratories with existing equipment. The test only costs between three and five euros, providing an affordable and accessible solution to diagnose and treat bacterial meningitis faster. “Any laboratory in which CRP is measured in blood can introduce this test for cerebrospinal fluid tomorrow. We could not have predicted in advance that a new diagnostic test would be used in patients within a year of its discovery,” concludes Brouwer. Source: Amsterdam University Medical Center Journal reference: Olie, S. E., et al. (2025). Validation and clinical implementation of cerebrospinal fluid C-reactive protein for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101309. To read the original article click here.

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Why Eating Yogurt May Help Lessen the Risk of Breast Cancer

AHA Publisher — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 08:00:15 +0000

Lancaster University via NewsWise – One of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria say researchers. Newswise — Scientists say their idea- as yet unproven – is supported by the available evidence, which is that bacterial induced inflammation is linked to cancer. The paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses is by Lancaster University medical student Auday Marwaha, Professor Jim Morris from the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Dr Rachael Rigby from Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine. The researchers say that: “There is a simple, inexpensive potential preventive remedy; which is for women to consume natural yoghurt on a daily basis.” Yoghurt contains beneficial lactose fermenting bacteria commonly found in milk, similar to the bacteria – or microflora- found in the breasts of mothers who have breastfed. Dr Rigby said: “We now know that breast milk is not sterile and that lactation alters the microflora of the breast. “Lactose fermenting bacteria are commonly found in milk and are likely to occupy the breast ducts of women during lactation and for an unknown period after lactation.” Their suggestion is that this lactose fermenting bacteria in the breast is protective because each year of breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by 4.3%. Several other studies have shown that the consumption of yoghurt is associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer, which the researchers suggest may be due to the displacement of harmful bacteria by beneficial bacteria. There are approximately 10 billion bacterial cells in the human body and while most are harmless, some bacteria create toxins which trigger inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation destroys the harmful germs but it also damages the body. One of the most common inflammatory conditions is gum disease or periodontitis which has already been linked to oral, oesophageal, colonic, pancreatic, prostatic and breast cancer. The researchers conclude that: “The stem cells which divide to replenish the lining of the breast ducts are influenced by the microflora, and certain components of the microflora have been shown in other organs, such as the colon and stomach, to increase the risk of cancer development. “Therefore a similar scenario is likely to be occurring in the breast, whereby resident microflora impact on stem cell division and influence cancer risk.” To read the original article click here.

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Dangerous Bacteria Send Out Warning Signals When Attacked by Antibiotics

AHA Publisher — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 08:00:09 +0000

University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences via News Medical-Net – “It is quite fascinating for us to see how the bacteria communicate and change behaviour in order for the entire bacterial population to survive. You can almost say that they act as one united organism…” A bacterial infection is not just an unpleasant experience – it can also be a major health problem. Some bacteria develop resistance to otherwise effective treatment with antibiotics. Therefore, researchers are trying to develop new types of antibiotics that can fight the bacteria, and at the same time trying to make the current treatment with antibiotics more effective. Researchers are now getting closer to this goal with a type of bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is notorious for infecting patients with the lung disease cystic fibrosis. In a new study, researchers found that the bacteria send out warning signals to their conspecifics when attacked by antibiotics or the viruses called bacteriophages which kill bacteria. “We can see in the laboratory that the bacteria simply swim around the ‘dangerous area’ with antibiotics or bacteriophages. When they receive the warning signal from their conspecifics, you can see in the microscope that they are moving in a neat circle around. It is a smart survival mechanism for the bacteria. If it turns out that the bacteria use the same evasive manoeuvre when infecting humans, it may help explain why some bacterial infections cannot be effectively treated with antibiotics.” -Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo, researcher, Assistant Professor at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and part of the research talent programme UCPH-Forward One United Organism In the study, which is a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and the University of California Irvine, researchers have studied the growth and distribution of bacteria in petri dishes. Here, they have created environments that resemble the surface of the mucous membranes where an infection can occur – as is the case with the lungs of a person with cystic fibrosis. n this environment, researchers can see both how bacteria usually behave and how they behave when they are affected by antibiotics and bacteriophages. ‘It is quite fascinating for us to see how the bacteria communicate and change behaviour in order for the entire bacterial population to survive. You can almost say that they act as one united organism’, says Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo. Possibility of Blocking The Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria are such a big problem that they are found in the top category ‘critical’ in the World Health Organization’s list of bacteria, where new types of antibiotics are most urgently needed. Therefore, the researchers are excited to make new discoveries about the ways in which this type of bacteria behaves and survives. ‘Infections with this type of bacteria are a major problem worldwide with many hospitalizations and deaths. That is why we are really pleased to be able to contribute new knowledge that can potentially be used to fight these bacteria’, says Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo. However, she emphasizes that it will still take a long time for the new knowledge to result in better treatment. The next step is to research how to affect the bacteria’s communication and warning signals. ‘This clears the way for the use of drugs in an attempt to prevent that the warning signal is sent out in the first place. Alternatively, you could design substances that may block the signal from being received by the other bacteria, and this could potentially make treatment with antibiotics or bacteriophage viruses more effective’, concludes Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo. To read the original article click here.

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