MICROBIOLOGY
Laboratory Microbial Diagnostics: Current and Future Practice
In May, at the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London, the British Society for Microbial Technology celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Annual Microbiology Conference. Here, members of the BSMT committee report on yet another highly successful event.
This year’s British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT) conference scientific programme featured a range of expert speakers from different fields of microbiology, across academia, research and clinical practice, as the following report illustrates. In addition to the scientific programme, the event also included a trade exhibition comprising 20 leading microbiology companies, without the support of which, conferences such as this would be impossible to stage.
Biomarker-guided antibiotic treatment for sepsis Sepsis continues to pose significant challenges across the NHS, requiring rapid intervention. Amidst growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance and overuse of antibiotics, Professor Paul Dark, NIHR Senior Investigator and Professor of Critical Care at the University of Manchester, highlighted how biomarker-guided strategies are transforming antibiotic stewardship in critically ill patients. Biomarkers such as procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) serve as indirect indicators of infection, guiding clinicians on when to initiate, review or discontinue antibiotic therapy. The ADAPT-Sepsis randomised clinical trial, involving critically ill hospitalised adults, evaluated the effectiveness and safety of using daily PCT or CRP
monitoring to tailor antibiotic duration compared to standard NHS care. Results indicate a significant and safe reduction – approximately 10% shorter antibiotic courses – when guided by PCT protocols, while CRP monitoring had no significant effect. The value of PCT guidance was greater in informing treatment duration,
and therefore effective in reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure in adult ICU patients with suspected sepsis. Ongoing research is investigating swift pathogen detection of direct biomarkers for bacterial or fungal infections to guide targeted antimicrobial therapy. Studies such as PRONTO and those focusing on antifungal stewardship are pivotal in supporting early diagnosis and personalised treatment strategies. Importantly, antimicrobial stewardship encompasses not just biomarker utilisation but also infection prevention, daily clinical assessments, and source control measures, all of which are integral to improving patient care while mitigating antibiotic overuse. In summary, biomarker-guided
approaches, particularly PCT monitoring,
The exhibition staged by 20 leading microbiology companies drew much attention from BSMT conference delegates.
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