Rapid Detection of Pathogenic Microorganisms by Terahertz Spectroscopy

Prompt identification of infectious pathogenic microorganisms is essential for preventing bacterial growth and spread, and serves as the foundation for implementing appropriate antibiotic therapy in clinical settings. Illogical drug usage can attenuate the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics and increase the risk of drug resistance in patients with bacterial infections. The traditional methods for the identification of pathogenic microorganisms, such as isolation and cultivation, are inefficient due to the relatively long turn-around time. Physical, immunological, and molecular biological techniques have significantly improved the efficiency of pathogenic microorganisms detection, while there are still some drawbacks. Terahertz technology is a promising new method for pathogenic microorganisms detection, but currently the application of Terahertz is confined partially due to its working mechanism. This study provides a concise summary of the primary methods for detecting pathogenic microorganisms and outlines the advancements in terahertz spectroscopy for pathogenic microorganism identification.