Antimicrobial resistance detection: Rapid transition to point-of-care platforms

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat that undermines antibiotics, endangers modern medicine, and is projected to cause up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050 with an economic cost of nearly $100 trillion. High-risk ESKAPE pathogens play a key role in driving morbidity and mortality, making rapid and accurate detection of resistance crucial for effective treatment and containment. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) remains central to diagnosis, combining phenotypic and genotypic methods: phenotypic approaches are reliable but slow (24–48 h), molecular methods are faster but require advanced resources, and emerging microfluidic platforms offer a promising middle ground with accurate results in 4–6 h at lower cost and greater portability. This review outlines major AMR pathogens, resistance mechanisms, and the advantages, limitations, and future potential of current and emerging AST technologies.