Chemosensor for Colorimetric Detection of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics

Fluoroquinolones are a class of thirdgeneration antibiotics widely used to treat multiple bacterial infections. Widespread antibiotic use has led to two major problems: 1) Development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) against Fluoroquinolone. 2) Proliferation of counterfeit antibiotics in developing countries. A convenient and sensitive method to detect antibiotic residues is crucial for the regulatory bodies to reduce the casualties due to AMR and counterfeit medicines. We have developed an inexpensive chemosensing assay that can detect the presence of fluoroquinolone antibiotics down to the concentration of $10 \mu g / L$ in environmental samples with a linear fit obtained having R2= 0.97. Our colorimetric assay was optimized to be used on paper that can rapidly detect fluoroquinolone antibiotics from counterfeit medicines.