Integrated Fiber-Optic SPR Sensor with Cyclone Sampling for Rapid On-Site Bioaerosol Pathogen Detection

On-site infectious bioaerosol detection is crucial for preventing various adverse health effects. A bioaerosol enrichment and detection system (BEDS) was developed by integrating a fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor with a cyclone air sampler for rapid on-site detection of aerosol-borne viruses. The fiber-optic SPR sensor incorporates a sandwich immunoassay strategy with gold nanoparticles introduced to further enhance the detection signal. In the cyclone sampler, infectious bioaerosols are converted to hydrosol through centrifugal and shear forces. The BEDS realizes sensitive H3N2 virus detection with a limit of detection down to 297.3 TCID₅₀/mL_buffer. A bioaerosol collection efficiency of 97.9% was achieved. It accurately identifies mixed-aerosol H3N2 and H1N1 viruses, analyzes exhaled pathogen concentrations from infected mice, and monitors disease progression. This system offers an on-site, preprocessing-free approach for early bioaerosol monitoring and epidemiological research.