PathCrisp: an innovative molecular diagnostic tool for early detection of NDM-resistant infections

The rapid and early detection of infections and antibiotic resistance markers is a critical challenge in healthcare. Currently, most commercial diagnostic tools for analyzing antimicrobial resistance patterns of pathogens require elaborate culture-based testing. Our study aims to develop a rapid, accurate molecular detection system that can be used directly from culture, thereby introducing molecular testing in conjunction with culture tests to reduce turnaround time and guide therapy. PathCrisp assay, a combination of loop-mediated isothermal amplification and CRISPR-based detection, maintained at a single temperature, was designed and tested on clinical isolates. The specificity and sensitivity of the assay was analyzed, post which the assay was compared with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to detect the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) gene in carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae clinical samples. Our PathCrisp assay demonstrated the ability to detect as few as 700 copies of the NDM gene from clinical isolates. Our assay demonstrated 100% concordance with the PCR-Sanger sequencing method, more commonly used. Additionally, the lack of the need for a kit-based DNA purification step, rather a crude extraction via heating, enables the direct use of culture samples. The PathCrisp assay is precise, specific and rapid, providing results in approximately 2 h, and operates at a constant temperature, reducing the need for complex equipment handling. In the near future, we hope that this assay can be further optimized and designed as a point-of-care test kit, facilitating its use in various healthcare settings and aiding clinicians in the choice of antibiotics for therapy.