Advances in point-of-care diagnostics for Acinetobacter baumannii: a review of novel detection and sensing strategies

Acinetobacter baumannii [ A. baumannii ] is recognized as a critical pathogen in the global dissemination of antibiotic resistance and is associated with severe infections affecting various anatomical sites, often leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Prompt and accurate identification of A. baumannii is essential for the effective management of healthcare-associated infections, particularly in hospital settings. However, the prolonged turnaround time of conventional microbiological diagnostic techniques poses a major barrier to timely therapeutic intervention. As a result, there is increasing emphasis on the development of point-of-care [POC] diagnostic platforms that enable rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of A. baumannii . This review examines biosensing technologies suitable for field deployment, focusing on systems designed for the detection of antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii , both at the genomic and cellular levels. The first section discusses isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods targeting resistance-associated genes in A. baumannii , along with the corresponding signal readout and analysis strategies. This is followed by an overview of recent advancements in electrochemical biosensors, including their design principles and diagnostic applications for A. baumannii . The final section highlights nanoparticle-based detection methodologies, emphasizing their potential to enhance diagnostic performance through improved sensitivity, specificity, and assay speed.