Detection of carbapenemase-mediated antimicrobial resistance using surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, necessitating rapid and precise detection methods. One widespread mechanism of AMR involves bacterial production of β-lactamase enzymes which render β-lactam antibiotics ineffective. The ability of β-lactamases with carbapenemase activity to degrade carbapenems, β-lactams used as antibiotics of last resort, is of particular concern. Carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) cause infections with high mortality rates, hence, their timely detection is of utmost importance. Here, we applied surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to the detection of carbapenemase activity, where our data reveal that enzyme-catalyzed carbapenem hydrolysis results in distinct spectral fingerprint changes. We capitalize on this finding by illustrating an experimental methodology implementing SERS that permits the detection of CPOs.