Phage based biosensors: Enhancing early detection of emerging pathogens in diagnostics

Abstract

Global health is seriously threatened by an increase in antibiotic resistance among ESKAPE pathogens- E- E. faecium, S- S.aureus, K- K.pneumoniae, A-A.baumannii, P- P.aeruginosa, and E-Enterobacter. The resistance of many bacteria to traditional antibiotics is increasing, making the search for novel approaches critical. In order to minimize the effect of these diseases, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are important. However, there are drawbacks to traditional detection techniques such molecular-based, biochemical, and microbiological assays. These include the inability to detect on-site, as well as their time-consuming, expensive, and labour-intensive nature. Viral agents that target bacteria exclusively, known as bacteriophages, have shown promise in combating over infections resistant to antibiotics. Bacteriophage-based biosensors are adaptable to many environmental conditions and offer special features such as host specificity and ability to identify active infections. They're very accurate, very specific, and have quick assay times, which makes them beneficial tools for detection. Also, phages are more easily produced than antibodies and can withstand high pH, temperature, and chemical solvents. The potential of bacteriophage-based biosensors in the fight against ESKAPE pathogens is highlighted by this review. Bacteriophage-based biosensors provide simplified detection processes in contrast to conventional approaches, which makes them invaluable in environmental and clinical situations. Numerous platforms, including electrochemical, magnetoelastic, quartz crystal microbalance, and surface plasmon resonance sensors, being investigated for their potential use to detect pathogenic bacteria in a range of sample types.