Fiber-optical biosensor for antibiotic susceptibility testing

In this paper, a microcantilever fiber optical biosensor based on Fabry-Pérot interferometric (FPI) was invented and used for antibiotic sensitivity testing (AST). This biosensor combines a cantilever and the single mode fiber (SMF) to form an FPI. After bacteria attach to the cantilever, their movement causes cantilever vibration, which can be obtained by measuring the change in dip wavelength of the interference spectrum. We used this biosensor to detected Escherichia coli, indicating the vibration amplitude of the cantilever increases with the increase of the number of bacteria fixed on the cantilever. Obtained the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration against E. coli within 30 minutes, validating the rapid AST ability of this biosensor. The microcantilever fiber optical biosensor developed in this paper provides a novel technology for AST.