Luminescent array sensors for pathogen identification using AIE-active cationic iridium complexes

Abstract

Five luminescent AIE-active iridium(III) probes were employed for the rapid and specific identification of antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant pathogenic strains, including ESKAPE bacteria, achieving nearly 100% accuracy even at a low concentration of 10⁵ CFU mL⁻¹. This sensor array demonstrated significant potential for the identification and quantitative detection of mixed infections in urine of clinically relevant bacteria linked to urinary tract infections (UTI).