Rapid bacterial growth and antimicrobial response using self-assembled magnetic bead sensors

Despite advances in molecular diagnostics, phenotypic results remain essential, especially due to the ever increasing presence of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare-acquired infections and in foodborne illnesses. Since phenotypic information is still crucial, the objective of this work was to combine the robustness and cost-effectiveness of traditional bacterial culture, and to approach the speed of molecular diagnostic methods. With concentrations as low as 5 × 103 CFU/mL, the growth of pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 was detected in 91 ± 4 min, which is on par with reported real-time PCR times used for food microbiology testing. Results were obtained using a 48 sensor prototype device that accepted standard well plates. A sensor with the reported rapid growth monitoring capabilities could dramatically improve the detection time and sensitivity in applications that require rapid phenotypic information, such as with patient samples and food testing.