Small-Molecule Probes: Recent Progress in the Rapid Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Bacteria

As the last resort and one of the most crucial antibiotics for multidrug-resistant bacteria, carbapenem is considered the best hope for treating bacterial infections. However, the prompt emergence of carbapenemase-producing bacteria (CPB) poses a striking global health threat. Thus, accurate and rapid methods for the detection of carbapenemase are being requested to guide precise diagnosis, appropriate treatment strategies, and antibiotic stewardship. Although genotypic, phenotypic, and biochemical methods are currently used in clinical practice for CPB detection, they each have their problems that cannot commendably meet the need. In recent years, small-molecule probes have made significant progress and breakthroughs in the rapid detection and subtyping of CPB, providing insights and innovative solutions for the ultra-sensitive detection of CPB. In this minireview, some of the advances, namely, chromogenic probes and methods, fluorogenic probes, dual fluorogenic-chromogenic probes, a chemiluminescent probe, and a novel label-free intracellular calorimetric approach, are summarized, appreciated, and discussed. These methods offer high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in a short period in clinical settings without the utilization of sophisticated equipment or professional personnel. We hope that this minireview can provide a reference for the development of rapid detection of CPB and eventually contribute to antibiotic resistance management.