Detection of Unamplified <i>E. coli</i> O157 DNA Extracted from Large Food Samples Using a Gold Nanoparticle Colorimetric Biosensor

Abstract

Rapid detection of foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157 is essential in reducing the prevalence of foodborne illness and subsequent complications. Due to their unique colorimetric properties, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) can be applied in biosensor development for affordability and accessibility. In this work, a GNP biosensor was designed for visual differentiation between target (E. coli O157:H7) and non-target DNA samples. Results of DNA extracted from pure cultures indicate high specificity and sensitivity to as little as 2.5 ng/µL E. coli O157 DNA. Further, the biosensor successfully identified DNA extracted from flour contaminated with E. coli O157, with no false positives for flour contaminated with non-target bacteria. After genomic extraction, this assay can be performed in as little as 30 min. In addition, food sample testing was successful at detecting approximately 103 CFU/mL of E. coli O157 magnetically extracted from flour after only a 4 h incubation step. As a proof of concept, these results demonstrate the capabilities of this GNP biosensor for low-cost and rapid foodborne pathogen detection.

Keywords

• foodborne pathogens
• foodborne illness
• biosensing
• food safety
• oligonucleotide probe