'Nose' technology might help identify pathogens faster. (New technology).

Researchers have developed a sensing technology that might allow doctors to detect and identify pathogens in the blood much faster than conventional lab tests can, according to the Illinois Institute of Technology. The results of the student-led study at IIT were published in the Sept. 30 issue of the Journal of Microbiology.

The sensing device is called an electronic nose. It is an array of small sensors that detect gases given off by microscopic organisms, such as E. coli and staphylococcus bacteria, which can infect the blood. The sensors are linked to a computer that analyzes the gas signature and compares it to signatures from known pathogens. Current laboratory methods take up to 48 hours to identify pathogens in the blood. IIT says the electronic nose can cut the time to 24 hours.

Electronic noses are arrays of sensors that sense microscopic particles, much like the receptors inside the human nose. Electronic noses that can identify the presence of the tuberculosis bacteria are also in development. The e-nose was developed in response to lab technicians at Provident Hospital of Cook County in Chicago who noticed that when testing blood for pathogens, there would often be certain odors that were strongly linked to the type of pathogen they would find.