Microfluidic Technology for Antibacterial Resistance Study and Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing: Review and Perspective

Abstract

A review on microfluidic technology for antibacterial resistance study and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is presented here. Antibiotic resistance has become a global health crisis in recent decades, severely threatening public health, patient care, economic growth, and even national security. It is extremely urgent that antibiotic resistance be well looked into and aggressively combated in order for us to survive this crisis. AST has been routinely utilized in determining bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics and identifying potential resistance. Yet conventional methods for AST are increasingly incompetent due to unsatisfactory test speed, high cost, and deficient reliability. Microfluidics has emerged as a powerful and very promising platform technology that has proven capable of addressing the limitation of conventional methods and advancing AST to a new level. Besides, potential technical challenges that are likely to hinder the development of microfluidic technology aimed at AST are observed and discussed. To conclude, it is noted that (1) the translation of microfluidic innovations from laboratories to be ready AST platforms remains a lengthy journey and (2) ensuring all relevant parties engaged in a collaborative and unified mode is foundational to the successful incubation of commercial microfluidic platforms for AST.

An outlook on microfluidics: the promise and the challenge

“…• Antibiotic susceptibility testing 31,80,81 • Essential diagnostic tests for low-and middle-income countries 6,39,82 • Liquid biopsies for detection of rare biological species 32 • Genomic screening for testing efficacy of prescribed medicines [28][29][30] Therapeutics…”

Novel Microfluidics Device for Rapid Antibiotics Susceptibility Screening

“…By providing well-defined microenvironments that mimic the natural habitats of bacteria, microfluidic devices have also enabled successful antibiotic susceptibility testing, on-chip cultivation, etc. [20]. Some of the many advantages of microfluidic devices utilized for antibiotic resistance screening include live monitoring of bacterial growth dynamics, rapid readout of resistance test results (usually within a few hours) and high potential for automation [20].…”

“…[20]. Some of the many advantages of microfluidic devices utilized for antibiotic resistance screening include live monitoring of bacterial growth dynamics, rapid readout of resistance test results (usually within a few hours) and high potential for automation [20]. One example was reported in [21], where the susceptibility of E. coli to antibiotics was quantified on the basis of measurements of fluorescence intensity within 4 h. In [22], a microfluidic point-of-care device utilized for rapid antibiotic prescription assistance in cases of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli was presented.…”

Direct microfluidic antibiotic resistance testing in urine with smartphone capture: significant variation in sample matrix interference between individual human urine samples

“…Improved diagnostics and rapid testing is vital to minimise mis- and overuse of antibiotics to reduce the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), 1,2 and miniaturised analytical technology is emerging to achieve this. 3 Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a widespread clinical need where initial antibiotic selection is not routinely guided by antibiotic susceptibility tests (AST), and instead surveillance information is used to develop empirical guidelines to minimise risk of resistance. 4 Microfluidics offer portability, speed, and ease of use compared to traditional laboratory microbiology methods, including broth microdilution and disc diffusion, which take at least 48 h from sample collection.…”