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AI can help detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria

AI can help detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria
AI can help detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria Keystone-SDA

Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have used artificial intelligence to detect antibiotic-resistant microbes for the first time. The AI model GPT-4 from OpenAI was used to interpret the laboratory tests.

Based on this AI programme, the researchers created a system that was tested on hundreds of bacteria and helped to identify resistance to vital antibiotics, as reported by UZH. Although the AI system achieved good results, it was not perfect.

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According to the researchers, human experts were more accurate. However, the AI system could help to standardise and speed up the diagnostic process.

“Our research is the first step towards using AI in routine diagnostics so that doctors can identify resistant bacteria more quickly,” said study leader Adrian Egli from the Institute of Medical Microbiology in a press release.

The study shows the potential of AI in the healthcare sector. The system could ultimately help to reduce the variability and subjectivity of manual evaluations and thus improve the results for patients.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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