Antimicrobial Resistance Studies Using Raman Spectroscopy on Clinically Relevant Bacterial Strains

Anal Chem. 2023 Aug 1;95(30):11342-11351. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01453. Epub 2023 Jul 18.

Abstract

There has been a steep rise in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the past few years. A timely diagnosis can help in initiating appropriate antibiotic therapy. However, conventional techniques for diagnosing antibiotic resistance are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, we investigated the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a rapid surveillance technology for tracking the emergence of antibiotic resistance. In this study, we used Raman spectroscopy to differentiate clinical isolates of antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive bacteria of Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Enterobacter species. The spectra were collected with or without exposure to various antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem, and nitrofurantoin), each having a distinct mechanism of action. Ciprofloxacin- and meropenem-treated sensitive strains showed a decrease in the intensity of Raman bands associated with DNA (667, 724, 785, 1378, 1480, and 1575 cm-1) and proteins (640 and 1662 cm-1), coupled with an increase in the intensity of lipid bands (891, 960, and 1445 cm-1). Gentamicin- and nitrofurantoin-treated sensitive strains showed an increase in the intensity of nucleic acid bands (668, 724, 780, 810, 1378, 1480, and 1575 cm-1) while a decrease in the intensity of protein bands (640, 1003, 1606, and 1662 cm-1) and the lipid band (1445 cm-1). The Raman spectral changes observed in the antibiotic-resistant strains were opposite to that of antibiotic-sensitive strains. The Raman spectral data correlated well with the antimicrobial susceptibility test results. The Raman spectral dataset was used for partial least-squares (PLS) analysis to validate the biomarkers obtained from the univariate analysis. Overall, this study showcases the potential of Raman spectroscopy for detecting antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive bacteria.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acinetobacter baumannii*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents* / pharmacology
  • Bacteria
  • Ciprofloxacin / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Gentamicins / pharmacology
  • Lipids
  • Meropenem
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Nitrofurantoin
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman / methods

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Meropenem
  • Nitrofurantoin
  • Ciprofloxacin
  • Gentamicins
  • Lipids