Portable Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensor for Rapid Swab-Based Detection of Norovirus

Norovirus poses a continuous challenge for healthcare systems, leading to increased hospital admissions, infection-control demands, and costly outbreak management. Gold-standard diagnostics such as real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) require specialized laboratory equipment and trained personnel. This work reports a portable electrochemical sensor based on an electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymer fabricated directly on an electrode surface for rapid norovirus detection using voltametric read-out. The sensor was tested against four norovirus virus-like particle (VLP) genotypes that each exhibited consistent responses across a broad concentration range. Sensor specificity and selectivity were demonstrated through comparison with a nontarget imprinted control polymer and testing against four nontarget live viruses. The imprinted polymer electrodes showed excellent stability, with no significant loss of performance after storage under ambient conditions for up to three months. For practical applicability, nitrile gloves were inoculated with each VLP genotype and sampled using standard swabbing procedures. The entire process was completed in ∼ 15 min, with electrochemical acquisition completed in 20 s. Successful detection of each genotype was achieved with detection limits between 154 and 279 fg/mL (8.78 × 10³ and 1.59 × 10⁴ particles/mL) for swab samples. This rapid and portable platform supports near real-time norovirus screening at the point-of-care.