Electrochemical Detection of Antibiotic Resistance in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance has developed into one of the major threats to public health in the 21st century. Approximately 700,000 people around the world die each year as a consequence of drug-resistance in bacterial infections. If no action is taken, 10 million deaths due to drug-resistance are predicted by 2050. The permeability of the bacterial cell membrane is strongly connected to antibiotic resistance. A decrease in membrane permeability reduces antibiotic uptake and antibiotic efflux via efflux transporters is especially pronounced in Gram-negative bacteria Understanding membrane transport of antibiotics in bacteria is essential to identify new diagnostic and treatment strategies for antibiotic resistance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium and is listed on the World Health Organization priority list. Commonly prescribed antibiotics to treat P. aeruginosa infections are ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tobramycin (TOB). However, P. aeruginosa often exhibit resistance to both compounds. The presented work investigates the transport of CIP and TOB across the P. aeruginosa cell membrane, employing electroanalytical methods, such as voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Studying the influx and efflux mechanisms in P. aeruginosa will provide a quantitative measure for drug susceptibility.