Here are three things to know about uBiome and the CDC’s initiative.
• The administration of antibiotics in healthcare settings is thought to disrupt the microbiome and leave patients more vulnerable to infection. The collaborative study will investigate the changes that take place in the gut during hospitalization that further contribute to infection. In conjunction with the study, the CDC will develop diagnostic tools known as Microbiome Disruption Indices, which have the potential to revolutionize infection control, according to the CDC.
• “Though currently at the earliest stages of development, MDIs have the potential to transform healthcare, as they can serve as an early-warning system for infection risk, allowing patients to receive earlier treatment and limit spread of infection,” Jessica Richman, CEO of uBiome, said in a statement.
• According to figures from the CDC, HAIs occur in about one in 25 hospitals every day, and approximately 75,000 patients with HAIs die during hospitalization.
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