2030: will we still need our microbiologist?

Abstract

Microbiological diagnosis currently revolves around human technical and medical expertise and the laboratory setting in which it is applied. The aim of this editorial is to delineate the anticipated trends, transitions, and strategies of these three facets by 2030.

Emerging applications of artificial intelligence in pathogen genomics

“…As a prerequisite for adoption of AI, a case must be developed in economic terms for its impact on day-to-day operations in settings where pathogen WGS or mNGS is established practice. Indeed in clinical microbiology laboratories more broadly, AI is already gaining traction as a consequence of increasing laboratory workflow automation and robotics (Naugler and Church, 2019;Bailey et al, 2019;Lakbar et al, 2023). Such a case would address expected utility: the perceived benefits of AI must justify the burden of implementation and validation before introducing a meaningful dependency on the technology.…”

2030: The need for microbiologists and antimicrobial stewardship teams will still remain paramount. Author’s reply

“…We thank Luque-Paz and colleagues [1] for their interest in our editorial [2]. We respectfully differ from their overly conservative perspective.…”

Outcome of hospital-acquired bloodstream infection: interplay between bacteria, host, and healthcare system organization

“…Overall, the exchanges between a multidisciplinary team (infection control physician, microbiologist, clinical pharmacists, and infectious diseases physicians) are central to optimize patient care and antimicrobial stewardship [12]. They will be likely enhanced by the new technologies and artificial intelligence which are exponentially entering into the laboratory to accelerate delivery of identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the pathogen [13]. Interestingly, this study also highlights the impact of availability of intermediate care unit beds on reducing mortality, possibly because they enable more intensive monitoring and patient management to be provided than is possible on the general ward [14].…”