Abstract

Rapid and Absolute Quantification of Rare Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria Using Droplet-based Microfluidics

Dong-Ku Kang, Assistant Research Scientist, University of California-Irvine

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing health problem in the United States and worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than two million people are infected annually with antibiotic-resistant infections, with >23,000 deaths. Especially, extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae is commonly found in K. pneumoniae and Escherichia coli are among the most prevalent antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Rapid diagnostics are particularly needed for pathogens such as E. coli, which are common, virulent, and have acquired ESBLs. Furthermore, diagnostic tests that can confirm the presence of ESBLs regardless of the species would be exceedingly valuable in directing early therapy and enabling better antimicrobial stewardship for those not infected with antibiotic resistant pathogens. Unfortunately, existing bacterial detection methods are limited in their inability to rapidly detect and identify pathogens that typically occur at low concentrations in blood (1 to 100 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL) as is commonly found in adult BSIs. Here, we will discuss about our strategy for monitoring beta-lactamase producing bacteria at single-cell sensitivity within a few hours by miniaturized droplet-based microfluidic system.