Capture and identification of Salmonella Typhimurium from large volumes of water using phage filter

Abstract

In this paper, a novel device named as phage filter is designed and presented to capture and identify a small number of Salmonella Typhimurium cells from large volumes of water. This phage filter is constructed from a filter chamber, filter frames on a spindle, strip-shape magnetoelastic filter elements, and a spinning speed control unit. The filter elements are made from Metglas 2826MB and coated with a specifically designed phage that only binds with Salmonella Typhimurium. These phage-coated filter elements can be held and arranged on the filter frames by magnetic force produced from couples of permanent magnets in the frame. Layers of filter frames are fixed on the spindle. The spindle with filter frames and filter elements can spin in the filter chamber and the spinning speed can be continuously adjusted. When the filter works, the tested water passes through the filter frame, and Salmonella Typhimurium cells striking on the filter elements can be bound by the phage on the element surfaces and removed from the tested water.