Detection of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Using Infrared Microscopy and Machine-Learning Algorithms

Anal Chem. 2019 Feb 5;91(3):2525-2530. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b05497. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Abstract

The spread of multidrug resistant bacteria has become a global concern. One of the most important and emergent classes of multidrug-resistant bacteria is extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria (ESBL-positive = ESBL+). Due to widespread and continuous evolution of ESBL-producing bacteria, they become increasingly resistant to many of the commonly used antibiotics, leading to an increase in the mortality associated with resulting infections. Timely detection of ESBL-producing bacteria and rapid determination of their susceptibility to appropriate antibiotics can reduce the spread of these bacteria and the consequent complications. Routine methods used for the detection of ESBL-producing bacteria are time-consuming, requiring at least 48 h to obtain results. In this study, we evaluated the potential of infrared spectroscopic microscopy, combined with multivariate analysis for rapid detection of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli ( E. coli) isolated from urinary-tract infection (UTI) samples. Our measurements were conducted on 837 samples of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), including 268 ESBL+ and 569 ESBL-negative (ESBL-) samples. All samples were obtained from bacterial colonies after 24 h culture (first culture) from midstream patients' urine. Our results revealed that it is possible to detect ESBL-producing bacteria, with a 97% success rate, 99% sensitivity, and 94% specificity for the tested samples, in a time span of few minutes following the first culture.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Infrared Rays*
  • Machine Learning*
  • Microscopy*
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Uropathogenic Escherichia coli / isolation & purification*
  • Uropathogenic Escherichia coli / metabolism*
  • beta-Lactamases / biosynthesis*

Substances

  • beta-Lactamases