Development of an Automated Biosensor for Rapid Detection and Quantification of E. coli in Water

• Main Authors: Ettenauer, Jörg, Zuser, Karen, Kellner, Karlheinz, Posnicek, Thomas, Brandl, Martin
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: biosensor; EcoStat; Escherichia coli; microbe detection; potentiostat; quantification; water
• ISSN: 1877-7058; 1877-7058
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.643

Escherichia coli are an indicator organism for fecal contamination and can represent a serious health hazard for humans. Common water quality tests are time consuming routine analysis. Our aim was the development of an automated biosensor for a fast identification and quantification of E. coli contaminations in ground-, surface- and drinking water. We applied an electrochemical assay to detect E. coli using their β-galactosidase activity. First, the enzyme production was stimulated in the cells and further, specifically released through a T2 bacteriophage mediated cell lysis. The enzyme concentration was monitored by potentiometric measurements. By using this methodological approach we were able to specifically detect at least 2 colony-forming units (CFU) of E. coli within 8hours. The incorporation of this method into an automatic biosensor device would ensure the quality of our water. Furthermore, a continuous monitoring could be achieved and online data transfer ensures fast counteractions in water treatment plants. For future applications we developed a low-cost potentiostat with an easy-to-use PC software for environmental measurements and evaluated it with 3 different devices.