A local professor recently made a discovery that could pave the way toward earlier medical interventions of respiratory infections such as tuberculosis.
Jeffrey D. Cirillo, a professor of microbial and molecular pathogenesis at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, began leading a team of 10 to 15 research students about three years ago with the goal of being able to see infectious bacteria inside an animal.
Current techniques require doctors to remove bacteria and modify it in a lab before infections can be detected, he said.
While experimenting with mice, Cirillo said, he found a way to expose diseased bacteria in the respiratory system without having to remove samples. By applying a chemical compound with a lighting agent to potential infections, he said he's been able to see bacteria through the skin of mice.
Typically, Cirillo said, someone infected with TB has to wait up to a month after testing to receive results. Using his approach, a detection can be made in less than 24 hours.
Additionally, he said, more accurate results are possible. For example, doctors typically rely on trial and error with antibiotics to determine which of the 20-plus types of pneumonia patients have, but results using Cirillo's technique can more specifically indicate the type. As a result, the appropriate medication can be prescribed quickly.
Cirillo estimates it will be at least five years before the process is applied to humans, but said the findings are a milestone when it comes to treating and stopping the spread of respiratory infections -- the number one killer of people across the world.
A majority of the funding for the research, about $3.4 million, came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Cirillo said after the money runs out in 2011, he hopes to receive grants to continue the project because there is much room for more discovery.
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