Bacteriophages are emerging as a promising alternative in combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria amidst the escalating global antimicrobial resistance crisis. Recently, there has been a notable resurgence of interest in phages, prompting extensive research into their therapeutic potential. Beyond conventional microbiology and virology techniques, such as genomics and proteomics, novel phenotypic and chemical characterization methods are being explored. Among these, there is a growing interest in vibrational spectroscopy, especially in advanced modalities such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), and atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), which offer improved sensitivity and spatial resolution. This review explores the spectrum of uses of vibrational spectroscopy for bacteriophages, including its role in diagnostics, biosensing, phage detection, assistance in phage-based therapy, and advancing basic research.

Fast diagnosis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially in high-priority pathogens, is essential to maintain the best-possible patient outcomes. In this communication, we present a new approach for rapid AMR assessment that is able to distinguish between vancomycin-resistant and vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VRE and VSE, respectively) within 2 hours using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, chemometrics and chemometrics-based modelling. This study outlined how early spectral markers of effective vancomycin action were used to accurately predict resistance profiles in both known and blinded Enterococcus samples. This paper provides the foundation for a rapid diagnostic tool that enables faster determination of bacterial susceptibility, supporting timely clinical decisions and better patient outcomes.