Introduction

摘要

Infectious diseases continue to rank high among global mortality factors and inflammations have been identified as a root case of many chronic disorders. Over 95% of the mortality caused by infections and inflammatory diseases is due to the lack of proper diagnosis and treatment. The inability of physicians to characterize infections at the point of care has led to broad overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics due to the risk of missed diagnosis. Furthermore, the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has complicated the choice of the treatment. It is now indisputable that antibiotic resistance is life-threatening in the same sense as cancer, both in the number of cases and the likely outcome. In 2015, the White House announced the "National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria". It is noted in the National Action Plan that "New therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics are urgently needed to combat emerging and reemerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens".