Development of an Automated Biosensor for Rapid Detection and Quantification of E. coli in Water. (2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ettenauer, Jörg; Zuser, Karen; Kellner, Karlheinz; Posnicek, Thomas; Brandl, Martin
• Is Part Of: Procedia engineering. Volume 120(2015)
• Page Start: 376
• Page End: 379
• Publication Date: 2015
• Subjects: biosensor -- microbe detection -- EcoStat -- Escherichia coli -- potentiostat -- quantification -- water.; Engineering -- Congresses; Engineering -- Periodicals; Engineering; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 620.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.643
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-7058

Abstract

Abstract: Escherichia coli are an indicator organism for fecal contamination and can represent a serious health hazard for humans. Common water quality tests are time consuming routine analysis. Our aim was the development of an automated biosensor for a fast identification and quantification of E. coli contaminations in ground-, surface- and drinking water. We applied an electrochemical assay to detect E. coli using their β-galactosidase activity. First, the enzyme production was stimulated in the cells and further, specifically released through a T2 bacteriophage mediated cell lysis. The enzyme concentration was monitored by potentiometric measurements. By using this methodological approach we were able to specifically detect at least 2 colony-forming units (CFU) of E. coli within 8 hours. The incorporation of this method into an automatic biosensor device would ensure the quality of our water. Furthermore, a continuous monitoring could be achieved and online data transfer ensures fast counteractions in water treatment plants. For future applications we developed a low-cost potentiostat with an easy-to-use PC software for environmental measurements and evaluated it with 3 different devices.