Description
Multi-resistant pathogens such as MRSA (multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are becoming a growing problem for hospitals and doctors’ surgeries. The resistant bacteria can spread quickly and pose a serious health risk to individuals who are already in a weakened state. However, MRSA (multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) tests are currently only carried out on suspected patients since the methods are either very time-consuming (microbiological culture detection) or very cost-intensive (molecular biological or antibody-based detection).
A research team at Fraunhofer EMFT collaborated with Asklepios Kliniken GmbH and the SME KETEK GmbH to develop a low-cost MRSA Rapid Test which is to be used for routine admission checks at hospitals or doctors’ surgeries. The innovative test for detecting resistant bacteria was set up as a comprehensive system for on-site analytics on a lab scale. A study was conducted to test the procedure in a hospital environment and it has been continuously adapted to real-life conditions.