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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

On-Site Molecular Detection of Soil-Borne Phytopathogens Using a Portable Real-Time PCR System
Published on: February 23, 2018
An innovative silicon-chip for sensitive real time PCR improvement in pathogen detection
Simone Battaglia1, Salvatore Petralia, Nunzio Vicario
1Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
An innovative miniaturized silicon-chip was developed for highly sensitive detection of pathogen genomes of both viruses and bacteria through real time PCR (qRT-PCR). The device was properly designed to enhance the optical signal and perform accurate thermal control. Results show an improvement of PCR amplification by one order of magnitude in sensitivity compared to the standard RT-PCR method. In particular for hepatitis B virus a decrease of the mean value of Ct of about 2.9 ± 0.9 compared to the standard system was observed. Similarly, for the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii, a decrease of the mean values of Ct of 1.8 ± 0.5, 3.1 ± 0.5 and 3.9 ± 0.9, respectively, was observed.
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