Sensors for Antibiotics Susceptibility Testing—Recent Advances

Abstract

The age of antibiotics, which began with the discovery of penicillin in 1929, marks an important period in medical history, as deadly bacterial infections seemed to be a thing of the past. However, the tide turned as more and more resistance to all existing antibiotics emerged, leading to the still ongoing era of antibiotic resistance. To counter this development and slow it down, it is important to administer the appropriate, effective antibiotics, which requires the clinical transition from empirical to targeted antibiotic therapy. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is a key pillar in the implementation of targeted antibiotic therapy. This review provides an overview of the different phenotypic and genotypic AST methods with their advantages and disadvantages, focusing on the turnaround time from patient to result, including preculture. In addition, an outlook on their future potential is given, also considering the impact of artificial intelligence on this field.