RMIT color test spots deadly staph strains fast
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- RMIT University researchers developed a rapid color-changing test that distinguishes golden staph strains, including those likely to be virulent and antibiotic-resistant, publishing results in the journal Small.
- The test uses gold nanozymes paired with short DNA molecular binders to generate unique color "fingerprints" per strain, flagging markers of virulence and drug resistance without prior knowledge of the bacteria's surface.
- Professor Rajesh Ramanathan said the platform is a rapid, low-cost screening tool designed to complement culture- and PCR-based tests, giving clinicians an early 'heads-up' on aggressive or hard-to-treat infections.
- The team validated the sensor in simulated wound fluid spiked with golden staph strains, producing comparable strain fingerprints and sometimes faster, stronger responses than in standard conditions.
- Collaborators included the University of Massachusetts Amherst, India's National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, and Western Sydney University.
- Nexsen, a nano-biotechnology company, is partnering with RMIT's Sir Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility to translate the technology into clinical, veterinary, and biosecurity diagnostic products.
Why it matters: Golden staph causes more than a million infection-related deaths globally each year, and current gold-standard diagnostics require hours to days plus specialist infrastructure. A color-based screen that works in simulated wound fluid and needs no prior knowledge of the bacterial surface could let clinicians triage aggressive or drug-resistant infections at the point of care, buying time before slower confirmatory tests return.
