Simple and inexpensive electrochemical paper-based analytical device for sensitive detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Chemical, 2020-04, Vol.308, p.127669, Article 127669
• Main Authors: e Silva, Rafael Ferreira, Longo Cesar Paixão, Thiago Regis, Der Torossian Torres, Marcelo, de Araujo, William Reis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacterial infection; Electrochemical paper-based device; Healthcare; Portable and disposable sensor; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pyocyanin
• ISSN: 0925-4005; 1873-3077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.127669

[Display omitted] •Electrochemical paper-based analytical device (ePAD) for in-field detection of Pyocyanin (PYO), a virulence factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA).•Development of a new ePAD using inexpensive Nafion-modified graphite pencil leads for the detection of PA cells/infection.•Portable, selective, and very sensitive method for PA screening in human saliva, water, and contaminated surfaces.•The ePAD system was applied for detecting PYO during PA growth in LB culture medium for both PA14 and PAO1 strains.•Results demonstrated a high correlation between the electrochemically detected PYO levels and the PA colony forming units. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for several diseases in humans and it is one of the main causes of hospital-acquired infections exhibiting a high drug-resistance profile. Hence, the rapid detection of pathogenic infections caused by bacteria in biofluids from patients or screening contaminated surfaces/utensils is of the utmost importance to healthcare, especially in places with high clinical demand and in resource-limited settings. Herein, we report a portable, selective, and very sensitive method (ranging nmol L−1 concentrations) for PA detection in human saliva and contaminated surfaces, without any sample preparation or separation steps. We used an inexpensive and disposable electrochemical paper-based analytical device (ePAD) for detecting pyocyanin (PYO), a key biomarker virulence factor that is unique for this pathogen. Additionally, we followed PA growth of two virulent strains, PA14 and PAO1, and found a high correlation between the electrochemically detected PYO levels and the optical density values of PA colony forming units (CFU), demonstrating the usefulness of the device for monitoring the bacterial growth and the early detection of PA infection in several relevant applications.