Doctors’ best friends: dogs will help sniff out bacteria for cystic fibrosis sufferers | Cystic fibrosis

Scientists have discovered that Judy is dogs with special powers. Golden Labrador can smell and define special bacteria, and can soon play a major role in helping researchers develop a program in which dogs can inhale individuals with dangerous microbes.

The project, which was recently launched by scientists in London Empire CollegeIt can be vital in the battle against antibiotics resistance as well as treatment of patients with lung disease and other conditions.

“We believe that Judy and her fellow medical laboratory dogs refer to a new way to discover the injured individuals, only by smelling from their socks or shirts,” said Professor Jin Davis at the Imperial College.

“They can become a great help in treating antimicrobial resistance and conditions such as cystic fibrosis.”

Cyclap is one of the most common inherited diseases in the world. The defective protein allows mucus to accumulate in the lungs and other organs, which leads to chronic infections that are exacerbated throughout life.

Eighty years ago, most patients died in adolescence. but Drugs are called ratesNow giving patients an opportunity to live in old age. But this success brought problems.

The changing medications have improved the total cases of patients significantly, but they do not completely kill all the chronic lung infections that affect them. Most of them are still infected with bacteria whose growth can endanger their health.

“The problem is that bacteria in these patients are now more difficult to discover them,” Davis said. “The averages significantly reduce mucus in their lungs and without that, it is difficult for them to cough the phlegm that can be evaluated their bacterial position.” “This is where dogs come.”

Several years Go, Davis and her team, with the support of cystic fibrosis confidence, conducted a research in which dogs showed that they can detect samples that are planted in the laboratory that contains bacteria called pseudomonas, which can lead to pneumonia, urinary tract infections – often a serious health problem.

As part of the experiences, dogs presented by the charity Medical detection dogs Which included Judy, it was brought to a test room where samples were placed on positions on the height of the dog’s head. These terraces either include pseudomonas, other bacteria or not bacteria at all.

Dogs wandered all over the room inhale each sample and when they discovered false, they sat.

“We have shown that in the laboratory places, dogs can discover false samples,” said Davis. “Now we want to expand this work and they have just been granted funding from the lifearc medical associations and the confidence of cystic fibrosis to increase our cooperation with the medical examination Dogs Therefore, for the first time, we may be able to train dogs to discover Pseudomonas on the skin of patients, in their urine or in their clothes. “

Decally, this system can be expanded to detect bacteria in other patients, not only those who suffer from cystic fibrosis. This ability will have important effects.

It is difficult to discover microbes such as pseudomonas in clinics and techniques that cannot be tested often invasive, uncomfortable and expensive and cannot be repeated regularly. Dogs can circumvent this problem.

“Bacteria are often like Pseudomonas resistant to some antibiotics,” Davis added. “We need to determine it accurately to ensure that it is treated with the correct antibiotics, thus maintaining the increasing problem of resisting antimicrobials, which will be aggravated if we give patients a wrong type of antibiotics.”

About a million people are now dying every year around the world due to the spread of microbial resistance and this number is expected to rise over the next 25 years.

Modern data indicates that the problems arising from the resistance reduces the fifty, but the death rates of more than the 1970s have increased by 80 % since 1990.

“In combating antimicrobial resistance, we will need all the help we can get – and can be dogs like Judy the ideal allies that we can recruit in this battle,” said Davis.