Fabrication of a paper-based microextraction tool for monitoring volatile emission associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa ), an opportunistic bacterial pathogen, causes severe respiratory infections. Rapid detection of bacterial species is important for switching from broad-spectrum to narrow-spectrum antibiotics when antimicrobial resistance is present. Here, we designed paper-based hydrophilic-lipophilic balance/divinylbenzene/polydimethylsiloxane polymer-coated TF-SPME patches and integrated them into a bacterial culture to extract volatile emissions associated with the P. aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) strain. The metabolites were analyzed using triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The sampling patches captured 48 metabolites, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, and heteroatom-containing metabolites, from the logarithmic phase of P. aeruginosa , with alkanes and terpenes as the predominant classes. The technique requires minimal solvent, and the method’s greenness was validated using the AGREE, GAPI, BAGI, CACI, and CaFRI assessment tools. Therefore, this technique may offer a rapid, eco-friendly alternative for the fast detection of P. aeruginosa . This sampling tool may help to improve clinical decision-making in cases of respiratory infection caused by P. aeruginosa .