Electrochemical antibiotic susceptibility testing: An emerging approach for fast and accurate determination of antibiotic effect in complex samples

Abstract

With the emergence of drug resistant infections it is becoming increasingly important to develop technologies which accelerate and enhance prescription of antibiotics. For routine hospital testing in advanced economies, gold standard analysis techniques usually identify the correct antibiotic for treatment of an infection in 12–72 h. Current techniques are highly automated, can handle many samples but are inflexible, can be time consuming, and are not amenable to point of care use. Electrochemical approaches lend themselves very well to antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) because of the possibility of developing low cost miniaturised systems which can be deployed at the point of need or as high throughput systems which can be used in centralised hospital laboratories. This article will detail recent advances in the field of electrochemical AST and offer commentary on the current state of the field and the prospects for translation of electrochemical AST systems into real world use. • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health problem with potential to cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050. • New technologies which better guide rational prescription of antibiotics are needed. • Electrochemical systems are beginning to show great promise for enhancing antibiotic stewardship. • Low cost, portability, high sensitivity and multiplex capability are attractive features of electrochemical AST systems.