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Innovative optofluidics and microscopy-based rapid analysis of pathogens
Hao Wang1, Priyanka Shiveshwarkar1, Robert Brzozowski2
1Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, ENB118, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
Biomedical Optics Express
|October 5, 2020
Summary
Rapid antibiotic selection for life-threatening bacterial infections is now possible. New optofluidic technology captures bacteria for quick antibiotic susceptibility testing, bypassing lengthy culturing methods.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Effective antibiotic treatment is critical for patients with severe bacterial infections.
- Current methods for selecting antibiotics involve time-consuming bacterial culturing and susceptibility testing.
- Empiric antibiotic prescription is common but may not be the most effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel optofluidic technology for rapid bacterial capture and antibiotic selection.
- To bypass the need for traditional bacterial culturing in antibiotic selection.
- To enable faster and more precise antibiotic prescription for bacterial infections.
Main Methods:
- Development and implementation of an optofluidic device for efficient bacterial cell capture.
- Utilizing captured bacterial cells directly for antibiotic susceptibility testing.
- Application of the technology to various biological samples.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated efficient and rapid capture of bacterial cells from biological samples.
- Successfully enabled rapid antibiotic selection using captured bacteria.
- Bypassed the conventional requirement for bacterial culturing.
Conclusions:
- The developed optofluidic technology offers a significant advancement in rapid antibiotic selection.
- This approach can expedite the treatment of bacterial infections, potentially improving patient outcomes.
- Optofluidic technology presents a promising alternative to standard-of-care diagnostic methods for bacterial infections.
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