ARS | Publication request: BIOSENSORS FOR THE DETECTION OF FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS

Submitted to: Eastern Food Science Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 15, 2003
Publication Date: October 28, 2003
Citation: Paoli, G., Tu, S. 2003. Biosensors for the detection of food-borne pathogens. Eastern Food Science Conference.

Technical Abstract: Biosensor-based detection methods such as time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) measurement are capable of detecting multiple pathogens in foods. Our research has demonstrated that a combination of immunomagnetic concentration and TRF measurement permits simultaneously detection of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in ground meats and produces. However, lack of a high quality antibody for many other important pathogens hinders the potential applications of highly sensitive biosensor methods. Rapid detection of L.monocytogenes has been hampered by the lack of polyclonal serum or monoclonal antibodies that can specifically detect the organism at the species level. Phage display is a useful tool for the isolation of antibody fragments with desired specificities. The technique involves the display of a library of single-chain antibody fragments on the surface of filamentous phage followed by selection of the desired recombinant phage by means of specific binding to an antigen of interest. Although phage display has advantages over conventional polyclonal and monoclonal antibody production, it has not been widely used for the selection of reagents for the detection of food-borne pathogens. We are currently selecting, screening, and characterizing scFv fragments for the specific detection of L. monocytogenes.