US-based microbiologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have used artificial intelligence (AI) powered microscopes to diagnose blood infections and improve patient outcomes.

Researchers demonstrated that an automated AI-enhanced microscope system can be used for rapid and accurate identification of bacterial images.

BIDMC Clinical Microbiology Laboratory director James Kirby said: “This marks the first demonstration of machine learning in the diagnostic area.

“With further development, we believe this technology could form the basis of a future diagnostic platform that augments the capabilities of clinical laboratories, ultimately speeding the delivery of patient care.”

Led by Kirby, the team used an automated microscope and trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) to differentiate bacteria depending on shape and distribution such as rod-shaped E-coli, round Staphylococcus clusters and pairs or chains of Streptococcus.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
“It can provide an unprecedented level of detail as a research tool.”

The unschooled neural network was fed more than 25,000 blood sample images prepared during routine clinical workups.

From more than 100,000 training images generated by the researchers, the machine intelligence learned to categorise bacteria with an accuracy of approximately 95%.

These training images contained bacteria that were already detected by human clinical microbiologists.

When used to sort new images from 189 slides that had no human intervention, the algorithm is reported to have demonstrated 93% accuracy.

Researchers expect that further development and training of the AI-enhanced platform would provide a fully automated classification system, addressing the shortage of clinical microbiologists.

Kirby added: “The tool becomes a living data repository as we use it. And could be used to train new staff and ensure competency. It can provide an unprecedented level of detail as a research tool.”