Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging

Abstract Rapid and timely selection of appropriate antibiotics minimizes treatment delays, enhances patient care, and improves infection control. The antibiotic disk diffusion method (Kirby–Bauer test) is the most widely used growth-based technique for assessing bacterial susceptibility due to its s...

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Main Authors: Donghyeok Kim, Seongjoon Moon, Jongseo Lee, Kyoungman Cho, Changhan Lee, Jonghee Yoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Biological Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13036-025-00542-8
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author Donghyeok Kim
Seongjoon Moon
Jongseo Lee
Kyoungman Cho
Changhan Lee
Jonghee Yoon
author_facet Donghyeok Kim
Seongjoon Moon
Jongseo Lee
Kyoungman Cho
Changhan Lee
Jonghee Yoon
author_sort Donghyeok Kim
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Rapid and timely selection of appropriate antibiotics minimizes treatment delays, enhances patient care, and improves infection control. The antibiotic disk diffusion method (Kirby–Bauer test) is the most widely used growth-based technique for assessing bacterial susceptibility due to its simplicity and reliability. However, conventional growth-based methods typically require over 12 h of incubation for visible inspection, making them unsuitable for situations requiring urgent treatment. In this study, we developed a novel laser speckle imaging (LSI) system that measures light scattering properties in a medium, along with an advanced image processing method for the quantitative assessment of antimicrobial effects based on bacterial activity. The LSI system utilizes an optical diffuser with controlled rotations to generate multiple independent speckle illumination patterns. The image processing algorithm analyzes correlation contrast in time-series laser speckle images, enabling more precise bacterial activity detection compared to conventional LSI techniques. The proposed method successfully detected effective antibiotics within 3h for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, a capability not achievable using traditional bacterial growth-based antimicrobial susceptibility tests. This approach has the potential to serve as a versatile, rapid, and clinically viable tool for identifying effective antibiotics in patients with bacterial infections, significantly improving diagnostic efficiency in clinical settings.
format Article
id doaj-art-a245671bbcb94c989786e7aabd7ba6f8
institution Kabale University
issn 1754-1611
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Journal of Biological Engineering
spelling doaj-art-a245671bbcb94c989786e7aabd7ba6f82025-08-20T03:42:53ZengBMCJournal of Biological Engineering1754-16112025-07-0119111110.1186/s13036-025-00542-8Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imagingDonghyeok Kim0Seongjoon Moon1Jongseo Lee2Kyoungman Cho3Changhan Lee4Jonghee Yoon5Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Biological Sciences, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Energy Systems Research, Ajou UniversityThe Wave Talk., IncDepartment of Biological Sciences, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Energy Systems Research, Ajou UniversityAbstract Rapid and timely selection of appropriate antibiotics minimizes treatment delays, enhances patient care, and improves infection control. The antibiotic disk diffusion method (Kirby–Bauer test) is the most widely used growth-based technique for assessing bacterial susceptibility due to its simplicity and reliability. However, conventional growth-based methods typically require over 12 h of incubation for visible inspection, making them unsuitable for situations requiring urgent treatment. In this study, we developed a novel laser speckle imaging (LSI) system that measures light scattering properties in a medium, along with an advanced image processing method for the quantitative assessment of antimicrobial effects based on bacterial activity. The LSI system utilizes an optical diffuser with controlled rotations to generate multiple independent speckle illumination patterns. The image processing algorithm analyzes correlation contrast in time-series laser speckle images, enabling more precise bacterial activity detection compared to conventional LSI techniques. The proposed method successfully detected effective antibiotics within 3h for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, a capability not achievable using traditional bacterial growth-based antimicrobial susceptibility tests. This approach has the potential to serve as a versatile, rapid, and clinically viable tool for identifying effective antibiotics in patients with bacterial infections, significantly improving diagnostic efficiency in clinical settings.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13036-025-00542-8Laser speckle imagingRandom speckleAntibioticsInhibition zoneDiffusion disk method
spellingShingle Donghyeok Kim
Seongjoon Moon
Jongseo Lee
Kyoungman Cho
Changhan Lee
Jonghee Yoon
Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
Journal of Biological Engineering
Laser speckle imaging
Random speckle
Antibiotics
Inhibition zone
Diffusion disk method
title Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
title_full Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
title_fullStr Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
title_full_unstemmed Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
title_short Light scattering-based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
title_sort light scattering based screening method for rapid evaluating antibiotic effects on bacteria using laser speckle imaging
topic Laser speckle imaging
Random speckle
Antibiotics
Inhibition zone
Diffusion disk method
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13036-025-00542-8
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