Quantitating staphylococcal enterotoxin B in diverse media using a portable fiber-optic biosensor

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Food Safety

Background:

• Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a primary cause of food poisoning.
• Accurate and rapid detection methods for SEB are crucial for public health.
• Existing detection methods can be time-consuming and require laboratory settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a portable fiber-optic biosensor for SEB detection.
• To assess the sensor's performance in various relevant media, including food matrices.
• To provide a rapid, specific, and sensitive assay for SEB analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a portable fiber-optic biosensor system.
• Employed a quantitative fluorescent sandwich immunoassay.
• Developed a simple aqueous extraction method for food samples (ham).
• Validated the assay in buffer, human serum, urine, and ham extract.

Main Results:

• Detected SEB at levels as low as 0.5 ng/ml in buffer.
• Accurately quantified SEB (5-200 ng/ml) in serum, urine, and ham extract using a single standard curve.
• Achieved quantitative results in 45 minutes and qualitative results in 15-20 minutes.
• Demonstrated high specificity, with minimal cross-reactivity to other staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEA, SED).
• Recovered 11% and 69% of spiked SEB from ham samples (5 and 40 µg/100g, respectively).

Conclusions:

• The portable fiber-optic biosensor offers a specific, sensitive, and rapid method for SEB detection.
• The assay is suitable for both clinical sample monitoring and on-site analysis of suspect food.
• This technology facilitates improved food safety and public health surveillance for SEB contamination.