Rapid Analysis of the Sensitivity of Bacteria to Beta-Lactam Antibiotics by Using a Resonator with a Lateral Electric Field

Abstract

The study shows the possibility of rapid analysis of bacterial sensitivity to beta-lactam antibiotics on the example of ampi-clllln by using a piezoelectric resonator with a lateral electric field. It is established that the indicator of the sensitivity of microbial cells to the antibiotic and the criterion of its impact is the difference between the recorded sensor signal for cell suspension without the antibiotic and the sensor signal after the exposure to an antibiotic. The data obtained using the sensor confirmed the standard microbiological method for determining the sensitivity of microbial cells to ampicillin. The analysis of microbial cell sensitivity/resistance to ampicillin was carried out directly in the liquid phase without immobilizing the antibiotic on the surface of the piezoelectric. The advantages of this approach are high sensitivity of the method, measurement accuracy (within ± 2%) and short analysis time (within 10 minutes). The results show the benefits of using a piezoelectric resonator with a transverse electric field for analyzing the sensitivity/resistance of microbial cells to ampi-cillin.