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Trinh E, Batt LJ, Yue Q, Du R, Jones ST, Fielding LA. Bridging Flocculation of a Sterically Stabilized Cationic Latex as a Biosensor for the Detection of Microbial DNA after Amplification via PCR. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1629-1636. [PMID: 38361251 PMCID: PMC10934273 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
There is a high demand for rapid, sensitive, and accurate detection methods for pathogens. This paper demonstrates a method of detecting the presence of amplified DNA from a range of pathogens associated with serious infections including Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and viruses. DNA is amplified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and consequently detected using a sterically stabilized, cationic polymer latex. The DNA induces flocculation of this cationic latex, which consequently leads to rapid sedimentation and a visible change from a milky-white dispersion to one with a transparent supernatant, presenting a clear visible change, indicating the presence of amplified DNA. Specifically, a number of different pathogens were amplified using conventional or qPCR, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-2). This method was demonstrated to detect the presence of bacteria in suspension concentrations greater than 380 CFU mL-1 and diagnose the presence of specific genomes through primer selection, as exemplified using methicillin resistant and methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. The versatility of this methodology was further demonstrated by showing that false positive results do not occur when a PCR of fungal DNA from C. albicans is conducted using bacterial universal primers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Trinh
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
| | - Lauren J. Batt
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
- Henry
Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Qi Yue
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
- Henry
Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Ruiling Du
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
- Henry
Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel T. Jones
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
- Henry
Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
- School
of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Lee A. Fielding
- Department
of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
- Henry
Royce Institute, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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