Mass spectrometry method identifies pathogens within minutes instead of days

Re:Mass spectrometry method identifies pathogens within minu... by Ey7NFZ3P0nzAe on Thursday May 08, 2025 @01:52PM (#43929102)

Soon resident here: not really super critical to know the exact pathogen. There are classes of antibiotics and depending on many factors we can have a good estimate of what will work so the first try usually helps. What's usually done (at least in france) is:

1. Take some blood to send to the labs to grow bacterias

2. Only then IV of antibiotics

3. Adjust at day 3 when you get the results.

And what if it looks super severe en urgent? Then 1. we do that too because it's often impossible to know what the pathogen was once you IVed all the antibiotics. And 2. we start by wide spectrum super strong high dose antibiotics.

Example: purpura fulminans: 1g of 3rd gen cephalosporins.

Ymmv in other countries, especially the USA because IIRC you have selected tons of emergent pathogens.

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Re:Mass spectrometry method identifies pathogens within minu... by darth_avocado on Thursday May 08, 2025 @02:05PM (#43929280)

This. Literally last week, I had to go to the ER and they ran a PCR test to identify the infection. But they also started broad spectrum antibiotics immediately. But since it was a Thursday and the lab only works weekdays, I couldn’t get the results back until Tuesday. They adjusted the antibiotics to a more targeted one once the results were back.

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Re:Mass spectrometry method identifies pathogens within minu... by Ey7NFZ3P0nzAe on Thursday May 08, 2025 @04:50PM (#43931180)

Pretty usual stuff I'd say. And I'm willing to bet that the 2nd sets of antibiotic had a lower spectrum of action than the 1sr because we had some guess about the initial strain.

Also because you're still with us so it probably worked.

In any case I'm glad you're better and sorry you had to go through this.

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