Label-free miniaturized electrochemical nanobiosensor triaging platform for swift identification of the bacterial type

Abstract

In chronic wounds, rapid identification of the bacterial type is critical for immediate clinical assessment. A novel, cost-effective, and label-free electrochemical nanobiosensor was developed with the help of an indigenously fabricated carbon paste working electrode to rapidly identify the bacterial type. The proposed platform made use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to boost electrochemical activity, and the strong affinity of boronic acid moieties for diols allowed for detection and differentiation of gram + ve and gram -ve bacteria on the same platform. A scalable and robust miniaturized Electrochemical Cell (E-Cell) designed for the developed electrodes assisted in reducing sample waste, detection time, and Limit of Detection (LOD). Within 15 min, the proposed nano biosensing platform identified Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria with an excellent recovery rate for the blind samples. Because of its size and the extra lipopolysaccharides (LPS) layer containing diols, the bioelectrode demonstrated a superior response to E. coli, effectively distinguishing it from S. aureus. Furthermore, the proposed biosensing platform demonstrated an excellent shelf-life and reproducibility with acceptable selectivity and exhibited an excellent specificity towards bacteria, making it an ideal candidate for rapid identification of the bacterial type.