Recent advances in biosensor based diagnosis of urinary tract infection

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are potentially life threatening infections that are associated with high rates of incidence, recurrence and mortality. UTIs are characterized by several chronic infections which may lead to lethal consequences if left undiagnosed and untreated. The uropathogens are consistent across the globe. The most prevalent uropathogenic gram negative bacteria are Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia. Early detection and precise diagnosis of these infections will play a pivotal role in health care, pharmacological and biomedical sectors. A number of detection methods are available but their performances are not upto the mark. Therefore a more rapid, selective and highly sensitive technique for the detection and quantification of uropathogen levels in extremely minute concentrations need of the time. This review brings all the major concerns of UTI at one's doorstep such as clinical costs and incidence rate, several diagnostic approaches along with their advantages and disadvantages. Paying attention to detection approaches with emphasizing biosensor based recent developments in the quest for new diagnostics for UTI and the need for more sophisticated techniques in terms of selectivity and sensitivity is discussed.

Keywords: Biosensors; Detection; Urinary tract infections; Uropathogens.