Rapid Phenotypic Antibiotics Susceptibility Analysis by a 3D Printed Prototype

One of the most important public health concerns is the increase in antibiotic‐resistant pathogens and corresponding treatment of associated infections. Addressing this challenge requires more efficient use of antibiotics, achievable by the use of evidence‐based, effective antibiotics identified by antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). However, the current standard method of phenotypic AST used for this purpose requires 48 h or more from sample collection to result. Until results are available, broad‐spectrum antibiotics are used to avoid delaying treatment. The turnaround time must therefore be shortened in order for the results to be available before the second administration of antibiotics. The phenotypic electrochemical AST method presented here identifies effective antibiotics within 5–10 h after sampling. Spiked serum samples, including polymicrobial samples, with clinically relevant pathogens and respective concentrations commonly found in bloodstream infections (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) are used. Direct loading of the test with diluted serum eliminates the need for a pre‐culture, as required by existing methods. Furthermore, by combining several electrochemical measurement procedures with computational analysis, allowing the method to be used both online and offline, the AST achieves a sensitivity of 94.44% and a specificity of 95.83% considering each replicate individually. Rapid and targeted antibiotic treatment of multi‐resistant pathogens conserves reserve antibiotics and improves the success of treatment. A rapid 3D‐printed prototype for the electrochemical detection of antibiotic susceptibility directly from serum, including polymicrobial samples, is presented. Compared to the current standard, a considerable time reduction has been achieved, enabling targeted antibiotic treatment on the day of sampling.