A Review of the Diagnostic Approaches for the Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Including the Role of Biosensors in Detecting Carbapenem Resistance Genes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rapidly growing global concern resulting from the overuse of antibiotics in both agricultural and clinical settings, the lack of surveillance for resistant bacteria, and the low quality of some available antimicrobial agents. Resistant pathogens are no longer susceptible to common clinical antimicrobials, which decreases the effectiveness of medicines used to treat infections caused by these organisms. Carbapenems are an important class of antibiotics due to their broad-spectrum effectiveness in treating infections caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. Carbapenem-resistant bacteria have been found not only in healthcare but also in the environment and food supply chain, where they have the potential to spread to pathogens and infect humans and animals. Current methods of detecting AMR genes are expensive and time-consuming. While these methods, like polymerase chain reactions or whole-genome sequencing, are considered the "gold standard" for diagnostics, the development of inexpensive, rapid diagnostic assays is necessary for effective AMR detection and management. Biosensors have shown potential for success in diagnostic testing due to their ease of use, inexpensive materials, rapid results, and portable nature. Biosensors can be combined with nanomaterials to produce sensitive and easily interpretable results. This review presents an overview of carbapenem resistance, current and emerging detection methods of antimicrobial resistance, and the application of biosensors for rapid diagnostic testing for bacterial resistance.