Molecularly imprinted conducting polymer based sensor for Salmonella typhimurium detection

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Biosensors
• Materials Science

Background:

• Developing rapid and accurate methods for bacterial detection is crucial for public health.
• Existing methods for Salmonella typhimurium detection can be time-consuming or require specialized equipment.
• Conducting polymers offer promising platforms for electrochemical sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a conducting plastibody-based electrochemical sensor for Salmonella typhimurium detection.
• To optimize the fabrication and detection parameters of the sensor.
• To evaluate the sensor's sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a conductive plastibody on an Indium Tin Oxide surface via potentiostatic electrodeposition.
• Optimization of template removal using electrochemical cleaning in MES buffer.
• Characterization using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, contact angle, FTIR, and scanning electron microscopy.
• Detection of Salmonella typhimurium using amperometry.

Main Results:

• The plastibody sensor demonstrated a wide detection range (10^0 - 10^8 CFU/mL) with a low limit of detection (3.42 CFU/mL).
• An imprinting factor of 3.8 was achieved compared to a non-imprinted electrode.
• The sensor exhibited high selectivity towards Salmonella typhimurium over other bacteria (S. typhi, S. aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes).
• Excellent reproducibility was observed with a relative standard deviation of 0.11%.

Conclusions:

• The developed conducting plastibody electrochemical sensor is a sensitive, selective, and reproducible platform for Salmonella typhimurium detection.
• The generic fabrication concept can be extended for detecting other pathogens.
• This technology holds potential for applications in food safety and clinical diagnostics.