Nanoparticle Enhanced Antibody and DNA Biosensors for Sensitive Detection of Salmonella

Abstract

Bacteria-related pathogenic diseases are one of the major health problems throughout the world. <i>Salmonella</i> is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria of which more than 2600 serotypes have been identified. Infection with <i>Salmonella</i> can cause salmonellosis, a serious bacterial toxi-infection syndrome associated with gastroenteritis, and paralyphoid and typhoid fevers. Its rapid and sensitive detection is a key to the prevention of problems related to health. This paper describes the development of antibody and DNA sensors for <i>Salmonella</i> detection using a microfluidic-based electrochemical system. Commercial <i>Salmonella typhimurium</i> and <i>Salmonella typhimurium</i> from human stool samples were investigated using standard and nanomaterial-amplified antibody sensors. <i>S. typhimurium</i> could be detected down to 1 cfu mL^-1. The specificity of immunoassay was tested by studying with non-specific bacteria including <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> that revealed only 2.01% and 2.66% binding when compared to the target bacterium. On the other hand, the quantification of <i>Salmonella</i> DNA was investigated in a concentration range of 0.002⁻200 µM using the developed DNA biosensor that demonstrated very high specificity and sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.94 nM. Our custom-designed microfluidic sensor offers rapid, highly sensitive, and specific diagnostic assay approaches for pathogen detection.