Surface Acoustic Wave-based Lab-On-a-Chip for the fast detection of Legionella pneumophila in water

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) -based immuno-biosensors are used for several applications, thanks to their versatility and faster response than conventional analytical methods. SAW immuno-biosensors can be usefully applied to promptly detect bacteria and prevent bacterial infections that can lead to severe diseases. Here, we present a SAW immuno-biosensor to detect Legionella pneumophila in water. Our device, working at ultra-high frequency (740 MHz), is functionalized with an anti-L. pneumophila antibody to maximize the specificity. We report the characteristic curve of the sensor, calculated measuring bacterial samples at known densities, and its related parameters. We also measure L. pneumophila samples contaminated with different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium) and samples diluted in mains waters. The proposed device is able to detect L. pneumophila in the range from 1×106 to 1×108 CFU/mL, with a limit of blank of 1.22×106 C..., Optical densities in the ELISA assay were acquired with a plate reader (ThermoFisher) at 450 nm.
SAW-LoC data were acquired with a vectorial network analyzer E5071C (Agilent Technologies) connected to an RF switch 34980A (Agilent Technologies); an in-house software based on LabView® is used to pilot the RF-switch and the vectorial network analyzer., Data files are uploaded as plain text.