Electrochemically monitoring the antibiotic susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

The condition of cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms was monitored via the electrochemical detection of the electro-active virulence factor pyocyanin in a fabricated microfluidic growth chamber coupled with a disposable three electrode cell. Cells were exposed to 4, 16, and 100 mg L-1 colistin sulfate after overnight growth. At the end of testing, the measured maximum peak current (and therefore pyocyanin concentration) was reduced by approximately 68% and 82% in P. aeruginosa exposed to 16 and 100 mg L-1 colistin sulfate, respectively. Samples were removed from the microfluidic chamber, analyzed for viability using staining, and streaked onto culture plates to confirm that the P. aeruginosa cells were affected by the antibiotics. The correlation between electrical signal drop and the viability of P. aeruginosa cells after antibiotic exposure highlights the usefulness of this approach for future low cost antibiotic screening applications.