High-throughput screening of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in picodroplets

Lab Chip. 2016 Apr 26;16(9):1636-43. doi: 10.1039/c6lc00180g.

Abstract

The prevalence of clinically-relevant bacterial strains resistant to current antibiotic therapies is increasing and has been recognized as a major health threat. For example, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are of global concern. Novel methodologies are needed to identify new targets or novel compounds unaffected by pre-existing resistance mechanisms. Recently, water-in-oil picodroplets have been used as an alternative to conventional high-throughput methods, especially for phenotypic screening. Here we demonstrate a novel microfluidic-based picodroplet platform which enables high-throughput assessment and isolation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a label-free manner. As a proof-of-concept, the system was used to isolate fusidic acid-resistant mutants and estimate the frequency of resistance among a population of Escherichia coli (strain HS151). This approach can be used for rapid screening of rare antibiotic-resistant mutants to help identify novel compound/target pairs.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cells, Immobilized
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Emulsions
  • Equipment Design
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects*
  • Escherichia coli / growth & development
  • Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
  • Fusidic Acid / pharmacology
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays / instrumentation*
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / instrumentation*
  • Microbial Viability / drug effects
  • Mutation
  • Particle Size
  • Proof of Concept Study
  • Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Single-Cell Analysis / instrumentation
  • Stereolithography

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Emulsions
  • Protein Synthesis Inhibitors
  • Fusidic Acid