Phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing of pathogenic bacteria using photonic readout methods: recent...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance in pathogens poses a significant therapeutic challenge, particularly in severe infections like sepsis.
• Current standard antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods are slow (24-72 hours), delaying effective treatment.
• Faster AST is critical for timely initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy and improved patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and critically assess current advancements in rapid phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods.
• To focus on assays utilizing photonic approaches for fast detection of antibiotic resistance profiles.
• To outline the necessary steps for translating these rapid AST assays into clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on rapid phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods.
• Focus on assays employing photonic detection principles.
• Analysis of genotypic versus phenotypic approaches for resistance detection.

Main Results:

• Several rapid phenotypic AST assays using photonic approaches are under development.
• These methods aim to provide faster results compared to traditional culture-based methods.
• Challenges remain in bringing these novel assays to widespread clinical adoption.

Conclusions:

• Rapid phenotypic AST, particularly using photonic methods, holds promise for improving infection management.
• Accelerating the determination of antibiotic resistance profiles is essential for effective treatment.
• Further development and validation are needed to integrate these advanced assays into routine clinical workflows.