Scientists have claimed that a modern genetic test can instantly identify any type of microorganism (be it a virus, bacteria, fungus or worm) that causes disease in the body.
Doctors have been using this genetic test to identify pathogens in spinal fluid since it was developed at the University of California, San Francisco more than a decade ago.
According to research published in the journal Nature Medicine on Tuesday, researchers have now improved this test further, making it capable of identifying bacteria present in respiratory fluid that causes pneumonia.
According to the research, the team of researchers has also automated the test, which is called metagenomic next-generation sequencing, or mNGS.
Scientists said the new respiratory version of the MNGS test takes just 30 minutes, after which robots and AI can take over and return results in time to help fight dangerous infections.
The researchers aimed to complete the entire testing process in 12 to 24 hours, with test results available the same day or the next day, senior researcher Dr. Charles Chiu said in a news release.
