Diamondoid-based medical nanorobotics may offer substantial improvements in capabilities over natural biological systems, exceeding even the improvements possible via tissue engineering and biotechnology. Microbivores constitute a potentially large class of medical nanorobots intended to be deployed in human patients for a wide variety of antimicrobial therapeutic purposes, for example as a first-line response to septicemia. If allowed to progress, these microorganisms can multiply and cause an overwhelming infection.
Bacteremia is the presence of bacteria in the human bloodstream.
Although bacterial nutrients are plentiful in blood, the healthy human bloodstream is generally considered a sterile environment. Still, it is not unusual to find a few bacteria in blood. Current therapies often involve multiple antibiotics administered simultaneously in multi-gram quantities per day. These treatments can sometimes take weeks or even months to bring under control certain hardy infectious microorganisms like Pseudomonas aeruginosa or enterobacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella . A nanorobotic device that could safely provide quick and complete eradication of bloodborne pathogens using relatively low doses of devices would be a welcome addition to the physician's therapeutic armamentarium.