Rapid Detection of Sepsis using CESDA: the Caenorhabditis elegans Sepsis Detection Assay

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Ling Fei Tee, Toh Leong Tan, Hui-min Neoh, Rahman Jamal
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2019
• Subjects: Sepsis; C. elegans; Chemotaxis assay; C. elegans Sepsis Detection Assay (CESDA); Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0300-2018; https://doaj.org/article/aedd228829004a3b956e4815ea7bcb91

Abstract INTRODUCTION The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was used as a biological sensor to detect the urine of sepsis patients (CESDA assay). METHODS C. elegans was aliquoted onto the center of assay plates and allowed to migrate towards sepsis (T) or control (C) urine samples spotted on the same plate. The number of worms found in either (T) or (C) was scored at 10-minute intervals over a 60-minute period. RESULTS The worms were able to identify the urine (<48 hours) of sepsis patients rapidly within 20 minutes (AUROC=0.67, p=0.012) and infection within 40 minutes (AUROC=0.80, p=0.016). CONCLUSIONS CESDA could be further explored for sepsis diagnosis.