Isolation and identification of Listeria monocytogenes utilizing DC insulator-based dielectrophoresis

• Published in: Analytica chimica acta 2019-08, Vol.1068, p.41-51
• Main Authors: Crowther, Claire V., Hilton, Shannon Huey, Kemp, LaKeta, Hayes, Mark A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dielectrophoresis; Disease control; Electrokinetics; Electrophoresis; Electrophoretic mobility; Epidemiology; Finite element method; Food irradiation; Food processing industry; Foodborne diseases; Foodborne pathogens; Gel electrophoresis; Gene sequencing; Genomes; Illnesses; Listeria; Listeria monocytogenes; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Microchannels; Microfluidics; Outbreaks; Pathogens; Public health; Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; Trapping
• ISSN: 0003-2670; 1873-4324
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2019.03.019

Foodborne pathogens pose one of the greatest challenges facing public health in the modern day. One important pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, is known to be challenging to detect and identify. Three serovars cause most of the Listeria related food-borne illnesses, which the Centers for Disease Control currently utilizes a combination of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and whole genome sequencing for identification and the determination of clusters and outbreaks. There is a potential method for rapid collection of epidemiological information by exploiting the electrokinetic and dielectrophoretic properties of the L. monocytogenes serovars. Using dielectrophoresis, the three most commonly identified serovars of L. monocytogenes can be distinguished from each other. The electrokinetic and dielectrophoretic mobilities of each serovar was determined through a combination of electrokinetic velocity and dielectrophoretic trapping assessments, in conjunction with finite element multi-physics modeling. A mathematical model of the data, which defines the various factors of dielectrophoretic trapping, is utilized and verified based on the behavior of L. monocytogenes in the microchannel. The trapping condition for the serovars were evaluated as 2.8±0.2×109, 2.2±0.2×109, and 2.2±0.3×109Vm−2 and the electrokinetic mobility was assessed to be 19±0.7, 17±0.7, and 9.2±0.3×10−9m2V−1s−1 for the L. monocytogenes serovars 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b, respectively. [Display omitted] •The biophysical properties of a cell can be interrogated with electrokinetics.•Dielectrophoresis can be used to rapidly speciate Listeria monocytogenes.•A data model quantitates biophysical properties of trapping dielectrophoresis.•Dielectrophoresis can rapidly collect epidemiological information.