Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Real-time optical detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using lytic phage probes.

Real-time optical detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using lytic phage probes.

Biosens Bioelectron. 2008 Mar 18

Guntupalli R, Sorokulova I, Krumnow A, Pustovyy O, Olsen E, Vodyanoy V.
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, 109 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, United States.


Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-specific bacteriophage was used as a probe for detection of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in aqueous solution using a novel optical method. Biorecognition phage monolayers transferred to glass substrates using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique were exposed individually to MRSA in solution at logarithmic concentrations ranging from 10(6) to 10(9)cfu/ml, and observed for real-time binding using a CytoVivatrade mark optical light microscope system. Results indicate that LB monolayers possessed high levels of elasticity (K), measuring 22 and 29mN/m for 10(9) and 10(11)pfu/ml phage concentrations, respectively. Near-instantaneous MRSA-phage binding produced 33+/-5%, 10+/-1%, 1.1+/-0.1%, and 0.09+/-0.01% coverage of the substrate that directly correlated to a decrease in MRSA concentrations of 10(9), 10(8), 10(7), and 10(6)cfu/ml. The exclusive selectivity of phage monolayers was verified with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) and Bacillus subtilis.

PubMed