Nanoparticle-based biosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria

Reliable methods for rapid, selective detection of pathogens are critical to ensure the safety of food supplies and to diagnose infectious, bacterial diseases accurately.For certain matrices, particularly in clinical diagnostics, single-cell detection would be desirable, since even such a low concentration of bacteria indicates disease. Many research groups pursue this goal, since current diagnostic methods, including biosensors, do not fulfill this requirement.The need of more flexible, reliable and sensitive targeting of pathogens has promoted research on the potential of nanoparticles (NPs) and their incorporation into biosensor systems. NPs with particular optical, electrochemical or magnetic properties may increase the speed and the detectability of the diagnostic methods. Moreover, the possibility of using them in a variety of configurations allows us to envisage their implementation as point-of-care systems or multiplexed devices.We provide a general overview of the progress, the limitations and the future challenges of NP-based biosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria.