A rapid, inexpensive diagnostic for bacterial pathogen and resistance detection in resource-limited settings.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health threat, with disproportionate impact in regions with limited diagnostic infrastructure. To address this challenge, we developed BADLOCK (Bacterial and AMR Detection by SHERLOCK), a rapid, low-cost molecular diagnostic platform for direct detection of bacterial pathogens and resistance genes from clinical samples. BADLOCK operates as a one-pot CRISPR-Cas13a reaction capable of detecting nine bacterial species and four major resistance genes directly from positive blood culture. It requires only a heat block and a basic fluorometer for operation. We validated BADLOCK on 194 sequentially collected clinical blood culture specimens growing Gram-negative rods, supplemented with 69 mock samples generated from banked isolates enriched for targeted

SUBMITTER: Roach DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC13632719 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature