Abstract
Fast and accurate detection of bacteria and differentiation between pathogenic and commensal colonization are important keys in preventing the emergence and spread of bacterial resistance toward antibiotics. As bacteria undergo major lifestyle changes during colonization, bacterial sensing needs to be achieved on different levels. In this review, we describe how conjugated oligo- and polymers are used to detect bacterial colonization. We summarize how oligothiophene derivatives have been tailor-made for detection of biopolymers produced by a wide range of bacteria upon entering the biofilm lifestyle. We further describe how these findings are translated into diagnostic approaches for biofilm-related infections. Collectively, this provides an overview on how synthetic biorecognition elements can be used to produce fast and easy diagnostic tools and new methods for infection control.
Highlights
Detection of bacterial pathogens in clinical settings is often based on slow and outdated technology (O’Neill, 2016)
This review summarizes recent efforts in which conjugated polymers and conjugated poly-/oligoelectrolytes have been applied for detection and differentiation of bacteria, their secreted compounds as well as the different lifestyles
These materials provide the possibility to read-out bacterial electron transfer processes, which is a field that only recently has been recognized and is likely to gain in importance as extracellular electron transfer mechanisms are described for an increasing number of bacterial species
Summary
Detection of bacterial pathogens in clinical settings is often based on slow and outdated technology (O’Neill, 2016). With bacterial infections re-emerging as a global health threat, there is an urgent need to implement new technologies with rapid delivery of results (O’Neill, 2016). New technologies with reduced diagnostic turnaround times should account for the high complexity of bacterial pathogenesis. Characteristic of the biofilm lifestyle is that bacteria embed themselves in a self-secreted extracellular matrix (ECM). This matrix, which consists of proteins, extracellular DNA, and polysaccharides, provides spatial organization, and mechanical support to the community (Flemming and Wingender, 2010). Despite evidence for the importance of biofilms for bacterial virulence and the establishment of chronic infections, which are difficult to treat, no diagnostic methods exist to identify a biofilm infection (Phillips and Schultz, 2012; Koo et al, 2017)
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