An optotracer-based antibiotic susceptibility test specifically targeting the biofilm lifestyle of .

Antimicrobial resistance is a medical threat of global dimensions. Proper antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for drug development, patient diagnosis and treatment is crucial to counteract ineffective drug use and resistance development. Despite the important role of bacterial biofilms in chronic and device-associated infections, the efficacy of antibiotics is determined using planktonic cultures.

A semi high-throughput method for real-time monitoring of curli producing biofilms on air-solid interfaces.

Biofilms enable bacteria to colonize numerous ecological niches. Bacteria within a biofilm are protected by the extracellular matrix (ECM), of which the fibril-forming amyloid protein curli and polysaccharide cellulose are major components in members of , and genus. A shortage of real-time detection methods has limited our understanding of how ECM production contributes to biofilm formation and pathogenicity.