Nanotheranostic approaches for management of bloodstream bacterial infections

Bloodstream bacterial infections are a serious threat to global public health and economy. The recent figures released by National Center for Health Statistics indicate that more than a million Americans get affected by it each year and the sepsis mortality alone is about 28%-50% Hall et al. (2011).¹ Robust and affordable point-of-care medical technologies are, therefore, urgently needed for rapid decision-making to initiate appropriate line of treatment. Current techniques based on blood culture and serology do not have quick turnaround times or adequate sensitivities for early intervention. Moreover, antimicrobial resistance poses a great challenge in the fight towards effective bacterial infection management. Nanotheranostics is emerging as a novel strategy combining solutions for rapid diagnosis and treatment in a more personalized way. This review highlights the recent advances made in theranosis of bloodstream bacterial infections using different classes of nanomaterials and bioreceptors, and discusses present challenges and future way forward.