Medicine New antibiotic test from Basel makes "sitting out" germs visible
Researchers in Basel have developed a new efficacy test for antibiotics. In contrast to previous tests, it not only measures whether a drug inhibits the growth of germs, but also whether it actually kills them.
13.01.2026, 13:06
SDA
Some bacteria can survive antibiotic therapy even without classic antibiotic resistance by switching to a dormant state and "sitting out" the treatment, as the University of Basel explained in a press release on Tuesday. Although they then do not multiply, they also do not die and can become active again after treatment.
According to the university, current laboratory tests only record whether a drug stops the growth of bacteria, but not whether it eliminates them.
Germs are filmed
A research team from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel has therefore developed a new method. As the researchers report in the journal "Nature Microbiology", the fate of individual bacteria is filmed for this purpose. Specifically, the new method called "Antimicrobial Single-Cell Testing" is based on microscopic images of millions of individual bacteria under thousands of different conditions over several days.
The method was tested on tuberculosis pathogens and on bacterial samples from 400 patients with other lung infections. This revealed differences in the effectiveness of various therapies and in the resistance of the bacterial strains.
Helpful for the development of new drugs
According to the researchers, the results of the new test are a good reflection of how effective the therapies are in clinical trials and animal models. "The better bacteria tolerate an antibiotic, the better the chances of the therapy being successful in patients," explained study leader Lucas Boeck in the press release.
The method is currently still a research tool. In the future, however, it could help to tailor therapies to the individual bacterial strains of those affected. It could also support the development of new drugs.
