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A low-cost microfluidic platform for rapid and instrument-free detection of whooping cough

Maowei Dou1, Juan Sanchez2, Hamed Tavakoli1

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, USA.

Analytica Chimica Acta
|April 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

A new low-cost, portable device offers rapid diagnosis of whooping cough (pertussis) using loop-mediated isothermal amplification. This point-of-care tool provides accurate results in about an hour, aiding early detection in clinics and schools.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Microfluidics
  • Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

  • Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious respiratory illness with recent outbreaks necessitating rapid diagnostic solutions.
  • Current diagnostic methods often lack the speed and accessibility required for timely intervention, especially in diverse settings.
  • There is an urgent need for a point-of-care (POC) diagnostic device for efficient pertussis detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a low-cost, portable microfluidic device for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of pertussis.
  • To integrate loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with a 3D-printed bioanalyzer for on-site pertussis detection.
  • To establish a simple, centrifuge-free sample preparation method for direct bacterial detection.

Main Methods:

  • A 3D-printed bioanalyzer was designed to house a microfluidic biochip and a portable, battery-powered heater.
  • Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was employed for sensitive DNA amplification of pertussis bacteria.
  • A novel, centrifuge-free sample preparation protocol was optimized for efficient bacterial lysis and direct detection from nasopharyngeal samples.

Main Results:

  • The developed microfluidic POC device achieved rapid, naked-eye visualization of fluorescence-based results in approximately one hour.
  • The device demonstrated high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5 DNA copies per LAMP zone.
  • High specificity was confirmed, and the system successfully detected pertussis directly from nasopharyngeal samples using the optimized preparation method.

Conclusions:

  • The integrated microfluidic POC device coupled with LAMP offers a promising solution for fast and accurate pertussis diagnosis.
  • The portable, battery-powered, and electricity-independent design makes it suitable for various low-resource settings, including clinics and schools.
  • This technology has the potential to significantly improve pertussis management through early and accessible point-of-care detection.
Keywords:
Instrument-free detectionLAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification)MicrofluidicPertussis diagnosisPoint-of-care analysis

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