posted on 2022-12-27, 17:09authored byWenshuai Li, Jingjing Wang, Chen Li, Zhiyou Zong, Jinzhong Zhao, Hongmei Gao, Dingbin Liu
Carbapenemase-producing bacteria (CPB) stand as the most
dangerous
“superbugs” in the clinic. Rapid point-of-care (POC)
detection of CPB in clinical samples is key to timely and effective
infection management. We herein report the first ultrasensitive chromogenic
probe that allows direct POC detection of CPB in clinical sputum samples
at a sample-to-result time of less than 15 min. This chromogenic probe
is modularly designed by conjugating the carbapenem core with a benzene
derivative bearing an electronegativity-tunable substituent. Unexpectedly
high sensitivity was achieved simply by choosing strong electron-withdrawing
substituents, such as −N+(CH3)3, without resorting to complex molecular design. Through integrating
the probes with a portable paper chip, 24 out of 80 clinical sputum
samples from sepsis patients with lung infections were quickly diagnosed
as CPB-positive, exhibiting 100% clinical sensitivity and specificity.
This low-cost paper chip assay can be readily performed on-site, breaking
through the dilemma of rapid CPB detection, especially in resource-limited
settings.