Electrochemical Biosensors for Pathogen Detection: An Updated Review
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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Bacterial Detection & Identification Using Electrochemical Sensors
Published on: April 23, 2013
Morteza Banakar1,2, Masoud Hamidi3, Zohaib Khurshid4,5
1Dental Research Center, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 14176-14411, Iran.
Abstract:
Electrochemical biosensors are a family of biosensors that use an electrochemical transducer to perform their functions. In recent decades, many electrochemical biosensors have been created for pathogen detection. These biosensors for detecting infections have been comprehensively studied in terms of transduction elements, biorecognition components, and electrochemical methods. This review discusses the biorecognition components that may be used to identify pathogens. These include antibodies and aptamers. The integration of transducers and electrode changes in biosensor design is a major discussion topic. Pathogen detection methods can be categorized by sample preparation and secondary binding processes. Diagnostics in medicine, environmental monitoring, and biothreat detection can benefit from electrochemical biosensors to ensure food and water safety. Disposable and reusable biosensors for process monitoring, as well as multiplexed and conformal pathogen detection, are all included in this review. It is now possible to identify a wide range of diseases using biosensors that may be applied to food, bodily fluids, and even objects' surfaces. The sensitivity of optical techniques may be superior to electrochemical approaches, but optical methods are prohibitively expensive and challenging for most end users to utilize. On the other hand, electrochemical approaches are simpler to use, but their efficacy in identifying infections is still far from satisfactory.
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