Sensors 2011, 11(10), 9450-9466; doi:10.3390/s111009450
Biosensor Applications in the Field of Antibiotic Research—A Review of Recent Developments
Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 5 August 2011 / Revised: 9 September 2011 / Accepted: 21 September 2011 / Published: 3 October 2011
(This article belongs to the Section Biosensors)
Abstract
Antibacterials are among of the most important medications used in health care. However, their efficacy is increasingly impeded by a tremendous and globally spread bacterial resistance phenomenon. This bacterial resistance is accelerated by inadequate application of antibacterial drugs in humans, the widespread veterinary use of antibacterials, and antibacterial occurrence in the environment and food. Further, there is a lack of development of innovative novel drugs. Therefore, the search for novel antibacterials has to be intensified and the spread of antibacterials in the environment has to be restricted. Due to the fundamental progress in biosensor development and promising applications in the antibiotic field, this review gives for the first time an overview on the use and prospects of biosensor applications in that area. A number of reports have applied biosensors of different design and techniques to search for antibacterials in environmental and foodstuff matrices. These studies are discussed with respect to the analytical values and compared to conventional techniques. Furthermore, biosensor applications to elucidate the mode of action of antimicrobial drugs in vitro have been described. These studies were critically introduced referring to the informational value of those simulations. In summary, biosensors will be illustrated as an innovative and promising, although not yet comprehensively applied, technique in the antibacterial field. View Full-TextKeywords:
antibacterials; antibiotics; biosensor; bacterial resistance
▼
Figures
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Reder-Christ, K.; Bendas, G. Biosensor Applications in the Field of Antibiotic Research—A Review of Recent Developments. Sensors 2011, 11, 9450-9466.