Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for the Characterization of Biofilm Forming and Non-Biofilm Forming Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an effective technique for identifying the biochemical composition of biofilm forming bacterial strains which exhibit strong antibiotic resistance and present major challenges in healthcare settings. Klebsiella pneumoniae, an opportunistic pathogen known for its ability to form biofilms, is responsible for a variety of nosocomial and community-infections, highlighting the critical need for its precise detection. In this study, nine different strains of K. pneumoniae were selected and categorized according to their biofilm forming capacity (non-biofilm, medium biofilm, and strong biofilm). The silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) based SERS approach was used to analyze the biochemical differences between the cell mass (pellets) of these strains. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis were applied to classify and differentiate the SERS spectral datasets, achieving 100% specificity and 81.82% sensitivity. This approach enables the accurate and rapid identification of K. pneumoniae strains, along with detailed biochemical profiling of their biofilm matrix.