Portable Dynamic Laser Speckle Imaging for Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microbiology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health issue.
• Current antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) methods are slow and require lab facilities, limiting use in resource-limited areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, portable, and cost-effective device for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST).
• To enable timely diagnostic decisions at the point of care.

Main Methods:

• A 3D printed portable dynamic laser speckle imaging (pDLSI) device was designed and constructed.
• Bacterial activity-induced speckle fluctuations were captured via cellphone camera.
• Machine learning analyzed spatiotemporal decorrelation maps to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).

Main Results:

• The pDLSI device determined MICs for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria within 2-3 hours.
• Performance was validated using *Enterococcus faecalis*, *Escherichia coli*, ampicillin, and gentamicin.
• The device demonstrated potential for rapid AST.

Conclusions:

• The portable dynamic laser speckle imaging (pDLSI) system offers a fast and accessible method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST).
• Its simple design and portability facilitate point-of-care diagnostics, addressing limitations of conventional methods.