Abstract

Since the discovery and subsequent use of penicillin, antibiotics have been used to treat most bacterial infections in the U.S. Over time, the repeated prescription of many antibiotics has given rise to many antibiotic-resistant microbes. A bacterial strain becomes resistant by horizontal gene transfer, where surviving microbes acquire genetic material or DNA fragments from adjacent bacteria that encode for resistance. In order to avoid significant bacterial resistance, novel and target therapeutics are needed. Further advancement of diagnostic technologies could be used to develop novel treatment strategies. The use of biosensors to detect quorum-sensing signaling molecules has the potential to provide timely diagnostic information toward mitigating the multidrug-resistant bacteria epidemic. Resistance and pathogenesis are controlled by quorum-sensing (QS) circuits. QS systems secrete or passively release signaling molecules when the bacterial concentration reaches a certain threshold. Signaling molecules give an early indication of virulence. Detection of these compounds in vitro or in vivo can be used to identify the onset of infection. Whole-cell and cell-free biosensors have been developed to detect quorum-sensing signaling molecules. This review will give an overview of quorum networks in the most common pathogens found in chronic and acute infections. Additionally, the current state of research surrounding the detection of quorum-sensing molecules will be reviewed. Followed by a discussion of future works toward the advancement of technologies to quantify quorum signaling molecules in chronic and acute infections.

Highlights

  • Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health concern that threatens the effective treatment of infectious diseases

  • Bacterial biofilm formation begins in the planktonic state where cells are motile until they attach to an adequate surface and bind with other cells

  • Gram-positive bacteria utilize autoinducing peptides (AIPs) to regulate QS networks. These AIPs are first produced in the cytoplasm of the bacterial cell

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Summary

Introduction

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health concern that threatens the effective treatment of infectious diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria infect at least 2.8 million people, and cause over 35,000 deaths per year [1] Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains utilize a complex quorum-sensing (QS). Figure shows to transcription factors in the cytoplasm or cell membrane, activate gene expression, and producethe more chemical structure some detection common autoinducing molecules. Conventional detection methods used to quantify and identify autoinducers expression, and produce more signaling molecules [4,5]. QS biosensors could be used to screen for novel anti-virulent, and validation of these biosensors for in vitro and in vivo virulence detection could lessen the MDR antimicrobial, and/or quorum quenching molecules.

Development of Antibiotic
QS in Gram-Positive Pathogens
QS in Gram-Negative Pathogens
State-of-the-Art Biosensing for Quorum-Sensing Molecules
Biosensing Developments
Gram-Positive
Gram-Negative
Outlook and Considerations
Findings
Methods
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