abstract |
Provided herein are methods for rapidly identifying a microbe, such as a pathogen, from a biological sample including, blood, urine, wound effluent, stool, serum, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The method comprises obtaining the sample from the subject and performing a spectrometric analysis of the lipids in the microbe to obtain a profile. The profile obtained is compared with a molecular mass lipid profile of known microbes for identification. Also provided is a method for identifying one or more antimicrobial drugs effective to treat a microbial strain in a subject. |