Rapid and direct diagnosis of meningitis

2002/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

British researchers invent a quick test to differentiate agents from meningitis. In fact, the causes of meningitis can be viruses, bacteria or fungi, and for proper treatment it is necessary to make a correct diagnosis. The sooner the cause of the infection is known, the greater the chance of healing it.

The new technique combines DNA chips with the PCR technique. DNA chips collect specific tests for many pathogens in a microscopic glass crust and the PCR technique gets more copies of the DNA from the patient's cerebrospinal fluid. Thus, the pathogen causing the infection is easily separable by fluorescence.

At the moment, the method is able to detect 14 viruses that produce meningitis or encephalitis, and researchers intend to test other viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi. In the absence of conventional clinical evidence, the test has sparked hope at the recent congress on clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.