Exploring the fundamental limit of antimicrobial susceptibility by near-single-cell electrical impedance spectroscopy

Many novel susceptibility tests are being developed to tackle the worldwide problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The key driver behind these developments, that is the need to reduce the response time, requires an understanding of which bacterial characteristic needs to be monitored to provide...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biosensors & bioelectronics 2023-03, Vol.224, p.115056-115056, Article 115056
Main Authors: Pitruzzello, Giampaolo, Johnson, Steven, Krauss, Thomas F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Antimicrobial resistance
Bacteria - chemistry
Bacterial metabolism
Biosensing Techniques
Dielectric Spectroscopy
Impedance spectroscopy
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Microfluidics
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Summary:Many novel susceptibility tests are being developed to tackle the worldwide problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The key driver behind these developments, that is the need to reduce the response time, requires an understanding of which bacterial characteristic needs to be monitored to provide a rapid and ideally universal signature of susceptibility. Many characteristics have already been studied, most notably bacterial growth, metabolism and motility. Here, we consider electrical impedance to directly access bacterial metabolism, which can be considered a fundamental indicator of bacterial viability. By studying the electrical response of individual bacteria to an antibiotic challenge, we detect antimicrobial action close to its biological limit. Specifically, we find that it takes 30–60 min to register significant changes in impedance for clinical concentrations of antibiotics, in line with other rapid indicators. Our findings suggest that 60 min is the fundamental lower limit of response time for a realistic susceptibility test at clinically relevant antibiotic concentrations. •We introduce a microfluidic device capable of electrical impedance spectroscopy of single bacteria.•Electrical signatures of three different antibiotics on a few bacteria are measured within 60 minutes.•Detection is limited by the time of action of the antibiotics, suggesting a lower response time of ∼1 hour for practical susceptibility tests.
ISSN:0956-5663
1873-4235
DOI:10.1016/j.bios.2022.115056