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Detection of Staphylococcus aureus in cystic fibrosis patients using breath VOC profiles

A H Neerincx1, B P Geurts, J van Loon

  • 1Department of Molecular and Laser Physics, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Department of Paediatrics, Amalia Children's Hospital, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Authors contributed equally to this work.

Journal of Breath Research
|December 1, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Detecting Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is challenging. This study shows breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can non-invasively detect S. aureus infections in CF patients with high accuracy.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Microbiology
  • Analytical Chemistry

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.
  • Current diagnostic methods for S. aureus infection in children with CF are invasive and difficult.
  • There is a need for non-invasive and accessible diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of exhaled breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for discriminating S. aureus infected from non-infected CF patients.
  • To identify specific VOC biomarkers indicative of S. aureus infection in CF airways.
  • To establish a proof of concept for a non-invasive diagnostic approach.

Main Methods:

  • Exhaled breath samples were collected from CF patients with and without S. aureus infections.
  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
  • Sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) was employed for classification of VOC profiles.

Main Results:

  • Multivariate breath VOC profiles accurately discriminated between S. aureus infected and non-infected CF patients.
  • The diagnostic model achieved 100% sensitivity and 80% specificity.
  • Nine key VOCs were identified as the most important discriminators of infection.

Conclusions:

  • Breath VOC profiling demonstrates significant potential for the non-invasive detection of S. aureus infection in CF patients.
  • The identified VOCs can serve as potential biomarkers for further research and development of diagnostic tests.
  • This approach offers a promising alternative to current invasive diagnostic methods for CF-related infections.

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