1 research outputs found
In Situ Strain-Level Detection and Identification of <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
The outer membrane of a bacterium
is composed of chemical and biological
components that carry specific molecular information related to strains,
growth stages, expressions to stimulation, and maybe even geographic
differences. In this work, we demonstrate that the biochemical information
embedded in the outer membrane can be used for rapid detection and
identification of pathogenic bacteria using surface-enhanced Raman
spectroscopy (SERS). We used seven different strains of the marine
pathogen <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> as a model system.
The strains represent four genetically distinct clades isolated from
clinical and environmental sources in Washington, U.S.A. The unique
quasi-3D (Q3D) plasmonic nanostructure arrays, optimized using finite-difference
time-domain (FDTD) calculations, were used as SERS-active substrates
for sensitive and reproducible detection of these bacteria. SERS barcodes
were generated on the basis of SERS spectra and were used to successfully
detect individual strains in both blind samples and mixtures. The
sensing and detection methods developed in this work could have broad
applications in the areas of environmental monitoring, biomedical
diagnostics, and homeland security