Glucose-metabolism-triggered colorimetric sensor array for point-of-care differentiation and antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria.

[Display omitted] • A novel colorimetric sensor array is constructed for POCT of multiple bacteria. • Eleven species including two drug-resistance bacteria are well distinguished. • The sensor array can perform antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria. • The minimal inhibitory concentration of antibiotics to bacteria can be evaluated. • MIC was presented to facilitate the rational use of antibiotics. Simple and sensitive discrimination of multiple bacteria and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) are significant for food safety, clinical diagnosis and treatment. Herein, based on different metabolic ability of bacteria on glucose, we presented a colorimetric sensor array for point-of-care testing (POCT) of multiple bacteria with methyl red (MER), bromothymol blue (BTB) and bromocresol green (BCG) as probes. Different bacteria resulted in different color changes of three probes, which was converted to RGB (Red (R)/Green (G)/Blue (B)) signals by the color recognizer APP loaded on smartphone. The sensor array performed differentiation of eleven species of bacteria, achieving the quantitative analysis of individual bacteria in tap water and differentiation of bacterial mixtures. Interestingly, the sensor array can be used for AST and evaluating minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics to bacteria. The research provided meaningful guidance for distinguishing multiple bacteria and evaluating MIC, presenting great potential in practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]