Development of nanoparticle-based optical sensors for pathogenic bacterial detection

Teodora Mocan, Cristian T. Matea, Teodora Pop, Ofelia Mosteanu, Anca Dana Buzoianu, Cosmin Puia, Cornel Iancu, Lucian Mocan

Pathogenic bacteria contribute to various globally important diseases, killing millions of people each year. Various fields of medicine currently benefit from or may potentially benefit from the use of nanotechnology applications, in which there is growing interest. Disease-related biomarkers can be rapidly and directly detected by nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanotubes, nanoparticles, cantilevers, microarrays, and nanoarrays, as part of an accurate process characterized by lower sample consumption and considerably higher sensitivity. There is a need for accurate techniques for pathogenic bacteria identification and detection to allow the prevention and management of pathogenic diseases and to assure food safety. The focus of this review is on the current nanoparticle-based techniques for pathogenic bacterial identification and detection using these applications.