New Rapid Tests For Bacteria Can Help Prevent Drug Resistance, Foundation Official Says

The Telegraph: The superbug threat is a race against time — we need to pick up the pace to find a rapid test
Daniel Berman, global health lead at Nesta Challenges

“…We need a complete reset of our relationship with antibiotics. This includes a more disciplined approach to getting test results before starting a course of antibiotics, transforming the rate of unnecessary use. While there are exceptions, for the vast majority of cases, antibiotics should only be taken when a test confirms a bacterial infection. This will become easier when rapid, accurate diagnostic tests become readily available. … It is critical that we speed up the development of tools that enable us to use existing antibiotics in the best way, anywhere in the world. The casual use of antibiotics wasn’t so much of a problem when new ones were being developed. Since no new class of antibiotics have been discovered since the 1980s, a new approach is needed…” (10/3).

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