Non-invasive detection and characterization of otitis media causing bacteria and bacterial biofilms through Raman spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography

Otitis media or middle-ear infection is a widespread bacterial/viral disease. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria within biofilms emerge during chronic ear infections and are challenging to treat. We explored Raman spectroscopy (RS) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to identify and compare unique spectroscopic and microstructural features from primary otopathogenic bacteria in colony, planktonic, and biofilm forms, in vitro. RS was utilized to identify biochemical fingerprints and OCT was used to generate depth-resolved 2D and 3D images to compare refractive indices and optical attenuation coefficients. A combined RS-OCT system will enable real-time visualization and diagnosis of bacterial OM at the point-of-care.