Electrochemistry of Escherichia coli JM109: Direct electron transfer and antibiotic resistance

In this study, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) techniques were used to investigate the extracellular electron transfer from Escherichia coli JM109. It was demonstrated that the formal redox potential of direct electron transfer between electrode and an E. coli JM109 cell in aerobic buffer corresponds to −0.42 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Based on the electroactivity of bacterial cells, the electrochemical system for definition of sensitivity of microbiological material to antibiotics cefepime, ampicillin, amikacin, and erythromycin was proposed. The results obtained indicate that with electrochemical methods it is possible to provide screening of potential drugs for bacterial diseases. The electrochemical method allows estimating the degree of E. coli JM109 cells resistance to antibiotics within 2–5 h using disposable screen-printed graphite electrodes.