Detection of Extended-Spectrum β‑Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Using Infrared Microscopy and Machine-Learning Algorithms

• Published in: Analytical chemistry (Washington) 2019-02, Vol.91 (3), p.2525-2530
• Main Authors: Sharaha, Uraib, Rodriguez-Diaz, Eladio, Sagi, Orli, Riesenberg, Klaris, Lapidot, Itshak, Segal, Yoram, Bigio, Irving J, Huleihel, Mahmoud, Salman, Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analytical chemistry; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Chemistry; Complications; Culture; E coli; Escherichia coli; Infections; Infrared analysis; Learning algorithms; Machine learning; Microscopy; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; Multivariate analysis; Urine
• ISSN: 0003-2700; 1520-6882
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b05497

The spread of multidrug resistant bacteria has become a global concern. One of the most important and emergent classes of multidrug-resistant bacteria is extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria (ESBL-positive = ESBL+). Due to widespread and continuous evolution of ESBL-producing bacteria, they become increasingly resistant to many of the commonly used antibiotics, leading to an increase in the mortality associated with resulting infections. Timely detection of ESBL-producing bacteria and rapid determination of their susceptibility to appropriate antibiotics can reduce the spread of these bacteria and the consequent complications. Routine methods used for the detection of ESBL-producing bacteria are time-consuming, requiring at least 48 h to obtain results. In this study, we evaluated the potential of infrared spectroscopic microscopy, combined with multivariate analysis for rapid detection of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from urinary-tract infection (UTI) samples. Our measurements were conducted on 837 samples of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), including 268 ESBL+ and 569 ESBL-negative (ESBL–) samples. All samples were obtained from bacterial colonies after 24 h culture (first culture) from midstream patients’ urine. Our results revealed that it is possible to detect ESBL-producing bacteria, with a 97% success rate, 99% sensitivity, and 94% specificity for the tested samples, in a time span of few minutes following the first culture.