Rapid Evaluation of Antimicrobial Potency Through Bacterial Collective Motion Analysis

The growing threat of bacterial resistance is a critical global health concern, necessitating the development of more efficient methods for evaluating antimicrobial efficacy. Here, we introduce a technique based on the sensitivity of bacterial collective motion to environmental changes, using motion trajectory analysis for swift antibiotic susceptibility appraisal within a simple spread-out of bacterial droplet. By single cell tracking in bacterial fluids near the droplet edge or boundary-detection of the colony expansion, we achieved rapid evaluation of antibiotic efficacy in under 60 min. This method is not only faster than traditional assays but also provides insights into drug-bacterial interactions, offering a powerful tool for advancing both diagnostic testing and the development of antimicrobial agents.