유영근 (한림대학교)

박종민 (한림대학교)

유영근 (한림대학교)

김재웅 (한림대학교)

박태규 (한림대학교)

김강현 (한림대학교)

박종민 (한림대학교)

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause a serious threat to health systems because they impede antibiotic treatment of pathogenic diseases. However, traditional antibiotic susceptibility tests based on molecular diagnostics and biochemical diagnostics, including disk diffusion tests, are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, the development of a rapid antibiotic resistance test is urgently needed.

MALDI-TOF MS is a technology that can identify various microorganisms using a database with mass spectra, and is used for rapid pathogen identification. In this study, a bacteriophage plate was developed for rapid detection of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli by using a MALDI-TOF MS-based microbial identification system. Phage plates were prepared using two bacteriophages specific for carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli on functionalized plates with a parylene coating. The carbapenem-resistant E. coli could be detected using the phage plates by fluorescence spectroscopy. To evaluate the specificity of the phage plates, carbapenem-resistant E. coli, susceptible E. coli, and other bacterial species were analyzed using the phage plates and the microbial identification system. Finally, we verified the rapid detection of carbapenem-resistant bacteria by quantitatively detecting pathogenic E. coli using bacteriophage-coated plates and a MALDI-TOF MS microbial identification system.