New sensor technology promises rapid detection of E. coli

Innovative sensor technology has been developed that could greatly accelerate the detection of E. coli bacterial infections in future.

A team from the Photonics Research Center at the University of Quebec have allied with collaborators from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to create the sensor, which is able to cost-effectively detect E. coli over a wide temperature range.

The technology makes use of bacteriophages, a type of virus that naturally latches on to and kills bacteria. These viruses are bonded to the surface of an optical fibre, attaching to E. coli bacteria from a sample, and when a beam of light strikes the surface, the wavelength is shifted to reveal the presence of bacterial contamination.
 
Since temperature changes can sometimes alter the optical properties of these materials, an additional optical component was added to cancel out these shifts, resulting in a device that is temperature-insensitive between room temperature and 40 degrees Celsius.

This means the device could be used in a wide range of uses, including outdoor applications such as the on-site monitoring of water reservoirs, as well as use by food industry and pathology labs.

Saurabh Mani Tripathi, a physicist at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, said: "Pathogenic bacterial infection is one of the biggest causes of death, and a fast response time is much needed for timely detection and subsequent cure of bacterial infection."

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