Liquid Crystal-based Immunosensor for the Optical Detection of Escherichia coli at Low Concentration Levels
IEEE Sensors Journal（2024）
摘要
The fast and specific detection of the commensal and pathogenic bacteria
Escherichia coli
is an essential challenge in the aquaculture industry. Herein, we developed and validated a liquid crystal-based optical biosensor that exhibited the capacity to detect whole-cell E. coli with a detection limit of 2.8 CFUs/mL. The inner surfaces of the device were treated so that the molecules of nematic liquid crystal 4-Cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl were perfectly aligned along a direction normal to the confinement surfaces. Anti-E. coli specific antibodies were immobilized on the inner surfaces of the device, to function as biorecognition molecules. The size of the bacterial cells is over one thousand times higher the size of the liquid crystal molecules so, when in contact, they efficiently distort the mean orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, which is the principle behind the detection method. Our whole-cell biosensor presents several advantages; it is a low-cost device, of simple optical reading and interpretation, that relies in portable technology. This immunosensor presents a faster detection time and a lower LOD than most LC-based sensors described to detect bacteria. This study is an important contribution for a fast diagnose which allows to address a specific threat, with immediate application to the aquaculture field, an increasingly important industry.
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关键词
Aquaculture,Bacteria,Biosensor,Escherichia coli,Liquid Crystal,Optical detection
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