Generation of data for use with antimicrobials

Abstract

An assay is performed so as to identify a pathogen in a sample taken from a patient. The identity of the pathogen in the patient sample is used to select an antimicrobial for treatment of the patient. The antimicrobial can be selected in less than 7 hours after the patient sample is taken from the patient. For instance, when the sample is blood, the antimicrobial can be selected in less than 4 hours after the patient sample is taken from the patient. When the sample is urine, the antimicrobial can be selected in less than 4 hours after the patient sample is taken from the patient.

1 . A method of data application, comprising:
 performing an assay so as to identify a pathogen in the patient sample, the patient sample being taken from a patient; and   using the identity of the pathogen in the patient sample to select an antimicrobial for treatment of the patient, the antimicrobial being selected in less than 7 hours after the patient sample is taken from the patient.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antimicrobial is selected in less than 5 hours after the patient sample is taken from the patient. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: using a susceptibility of the pathogen to the selected antimicrobial in the selection of the antimicrobial. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the assay is performed on a processed sample generated from the patient sample, the assay being performed in less than 60 minutes after generation of the sample. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient sample is not cultured before performing the assay. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient sample is cultured before performing the assay. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient sample is cultured for less than  3  minutes before performing the assay. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the assay of the patient sample is one of multiple test assays that are sequentially performed on the patient sample, and none of the test assays performed before the assay showed that the pathogen was present in patient sample. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 assaying a second patient sample taken from the patient so as to identify a concentration of the pathogen in the patient sample; and   using the identified concentration to adjust a dosage the identified antimicribial.   
     
     
         10 . A method of data application, comprising:
 performing a culture of a patient sample while the patient sample is exposed to an antimicrobial candidate, the patient sample being taken from a patient, the antimicrobial candidate being a candidate for treating a pathogen in the patient sample;   performing an assay so as to identify a concentration of a pathogen in the culture; and   using the identified concentration to characterize the susceptibility of the pathogen to the antimicrobial candidate, the susceptibility of the pathogen to the antimicrobial candidate being characterized in less than 7 hours after the patient sample is taken from the patient.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising: using the susceptibility of the pathogen to the antimicrobial candidate to identify an antimicrobial that is suitable for treating the patient. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein characterizing the susceptibility of the pathogen to the antimicrobial candidate includes determining whether the pathogen has grown during the culture. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein characterizing the susceptibility of the pathogen to the antimicrobial candidate includes comparing the identified concentration to a concentration of the pathogen in the patient sample or in a culture of the patient sample. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the assay is one of multiple screening assays that are each performed so as to identify a concentration of a pathogen in the culture and/or in the patient sample, one or more of the screening assays being performed before the assay indicating that the has not grown in the culture. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the screening assays each indicates that the pathogen has not grown in the culture, and
 reporting the pathogen as susceptible to the antimicrobial candidate.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the identified concentration indicates that the pathogen has grown in the culture and reporting the pathogen as resistant to the antimicrobial candidate 
     
     
         17 . A method of data application, comprising:
 performing an assay so as to identify a concentration of a pathogen in a patient sample, the patient sample being taken after a patient has received an antimicrobial at a dosage level selected to treat a pathogen; and   changing the dosage level of the antimicrobial in response to comparing the identified concentration to dosage performance data, identified concentration is compared to the dosage performance data less than 24 hours after the patient initially received the antimicrobial.   
     
     
         18 . The dosage performance data indicating the concentration of the pathogen that is desired in the patient sample as a function of time after the patient initially received the antimicrobial.