Researchers
from the University of Minnesota (UMN) have developed a method to screen and
identify harmful or antibiotic-resistant bacteria within one hour using a
portable luminometer. Traditional diagnostic methods often require complex
equipment and lab work that can take days. The new method uses
chemiluminescence, or the emission of light during a chemical reaction. It was
developed with the food industry in mind and could also be used in healthcare
settings.
In
a study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, researchers from
the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the College
of Science and Engineering at UMN demonstrated the new technology by analyzing
surface swabs and urine samples for the presence of small concentrations of
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria that causes more
than 11,000 deaths in the U.S. every year.
"A
big barrier for microbial detection in the food industry is cost and the
inability to detect harmful bacteria in a reasonable time," said John
Brockgreitens, a graduate student involved in the study from the Department of
Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. "We're trying to develop an
inexpensive and rapid way for microbial detection that can be used without
needing extensive training."
To
screen for microorganisms, green gold in the form of triangular nanoplates was
combined with a reducing agent and luminol. This caused a strong
chemiluminescent reaction that was stable for as long as 10 minutes. When
researchers introduced MRSA and other microorganisms into the combination, they
consumed the gold nanoplates, causing the chemiluminescent intensity to
decrease proportionally to the microbial concentration. This indicated a
presence of microorganisms.
"Rapid
microbial detection in less than two hours is not only vital to prevent food
poisoning, but also to fight antimicrobial resistance by helping physicians
make informed decisions before prescribing antibiotics," said Abdennour
Abbas, a professor in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering,
who directed the research. "More work is needed to apply this technology
to more complex samples such as food and crops, but we're hopeful that progress
will continue in this area."
Researchers
also introduced a new concept called microbial macromolecular shielding to
specifically identify MRSA. A polymer specific to MRSA was added to the same
sample where it engulfed and surrounded the MRSA bacteria, preventing them from
consuming the gold nanoplates. This increased chemiluminescence intensity,
indicating the presence of MRSA.
More
research is needed before the method can be used in real-world applications,
but researchers are eager to make this process faster and easier for industry
use.
"In
the food industry, items like processed meat, cheese, yogurt and milk have a
lot of other competing parts such as proteins and other cells that you need to
effectively filter out before you could detect what you're looking for,"
Brockgreitens said. "We know our direction is to keep looking at some of
these cellular interactions and how to make this whole process either automated
or a one-step process."
See:
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle,
Pharmaceutical Microbiology
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