Single-cell testing shows which antibiotics actually kill bacteria, not just stop growth

New method measures how effectively antibiotics kill bacteria

Drugs that act against bacteria are mainly assessed based on how well they inhibit bacterial growth under laboratory conditions.

Some Antibiotics Don’t Kill Bacteria. This Test Shows Which Do

A new single-cell “bacteria surveillance” method reveals whether antibiotics truly kill infections—or just leave them waiting to strike back. Antibiotics are usually evaluated by how well they stop bacteria from growing in laboratory tests. What matters just as much, though, is whether those drugs actually kill the bacteria inside the human body. Scientists at the [...]

Single-cell testing shows which antibiotics actually kill bacteria, not just stop growth

Drugs that act against bacteria are mainly assessed based on how well they inhibit bacterial growth under laboratory conditions. A critical factor, however, is whether the active substances actually kill the pathogens in the body. Researchers at the University of Basel have presented a new method for measuring how effectively antibiotics kill bacteria.

New test shows which antibiotics actually work

9.01.2026 - Drugs that act against bacteria are mainly assessed based on how well they inhibit bacterial growth under laboratory conditions. A critical factor, however, is whether the active substances actually kill the pathogens in the body. Researchers at the University of Basel have presented a new method for measuring how effectively antibiotics kill bacteria.

New Single‑Cell Testing Measures How Effectively Antibiotics Kill Bacteria

The team tracked over 140 million mycobacteria and analyzed ~20,000 time–kill curves, allowing them to identify key determinants of antibiotic killing.