Development of effective pathogen detection systems is critical for human health. In this study, a micro-gapped interdigitated electrode array-based immunosensor chip is constructed for the detection of a typical pathogen, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. The immunosesnor chip was prepared via photolithography and characterized by a digital camera, optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The E. coli O157:H7 detection mechanism is based on an enzymelinked, sandwiched immunoassay with enzymatic silver deposition. Our results revealed that the proposed immunosensor chip showed selective electrical response towards E. coli O157:H7 over other bacteria including Hemolytic streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chronobacter sakazakii and Bacillus cereus. Our assay exhibited potential practical applications for E. coli O157:H7 determination in water and our methodology might be applied to detect different pathogens by simply selecting specific antibodies.
KEYWORDSEscherichia coli O157:H7; micro-gapped interdigitated electrode array; immunoassay; electrochemical sensing Abbreviations AAP ascorbic acid phosphate enzyme ALP alkaline phosphatase APTES 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane BSA bovine serum albumin EDS energy-dispersive spectroscopy ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay LSV linear sweep voltammetry PBS phosphate-buffered saline SEM scanning electron microscope TB Tris-HCl buffer PBST phosphate-buffered saline tween