Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms with a Carbapenem-Based Fluorogenic Probe

Antibiotic resistance has become a major challenge to public health worldwide. This crisis is further aggravated by the increasing emergence of bacterial resistance to carbapenems, typically considered as the antibiotics of last resort, which is mainly due to the production of carbapenem-hydrolyzing carbapenemases in bacteria. Herein, the carbapenem-based fluorogenic probe CB-1 with an unprecedented enamine-BODIPY switch is developed for the detection of carbapenemase activity. This reagent is remarkably specific towards carbapenemases over other prevalent β-lactamases. Furthermore, the efficient imaging of live clinically important carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) with CB-1 demonstrates its potential for the rapid detection of antibiotic resistance and timely diagnosis of CPO infections.