Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing system based on bacterial immobilization using gelling agent, antibiotic diffusion and tracking of single bacterial cells

A method for an antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), comprising:

• providing a mixture solution of a gelling agent and a microbe to a gelling device;
• solidifying the mixture solution to form a solid thin film in which the microbe is immobilized;
• supplying an antibiotic to the solid thin film and allowing the antibiotic to diffuse into the solid thin film;
• tracking each single microbial cell directly among the microbe by a microscopy and imaging an increase in an area occupied by each single microbial cell growth according to a incubation time and a concentration of the antibiotic, wherein an image from the imaging step is taken as a microscopic picture from the microscopy;
• based on the image, determining a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by analyzing the occupied area based on the single microbial cell growth, wherein,
• at concentration of the antibiotic below the MIC, the single microbial cell growth increases the occupied area,
• at concentration of the antibiotic above the MIC, the single microbial cell growth is suppressed so that the occupied area is decreased;
• and
• obtaining a result of the AST for each of the single microbial cell against the antibiotic based on the step of determining the MIC.