title: Quantitating staphylococcal enterotoxin B in diverse media using a portable fiber-optic biosensor.
abstract: A new, portable fiber-optic biosensor has been used to detect staphylococcal enterotoxin B, a causative agent of food poisoning, at levels as low as 0.5 ng/ml in buffer. The toxin (SEB) can also be detected and quantitated in other relevant media: human serum, urine, and aqueous extract of ham. The level of toxin, from 5 to 200 ng/ml, can be accurately predicted in these media by calibrating each fiber and by comparing results to a single standard curve based on toxin in buffer. The quantitative fluorescent sandwich immunoassay provides results in 45 min; qualitative results are provided in 15-20 min. Using a blender and a benchtop centrifuge, fast, simple aqueous extracts of contaminated ham samples were prepared and tested. Ham spiked with 5 or 40 micrograms SEB per 100 g food resulted in biosensor readings indicative of 11 or 69% recovery of the toxin, respectively. Finally, the SEB assay is highly specific; SEA and SED give only 2-3% of the signal at 5000 ng/ml as SEB gives at 1000 ng/ml. This specific, sensitive assay for SEB on the portable fiber-optic biosensor permits easy monitoring of clinical samples or on-site analysis of suspect food samples.
authors.affiliation: Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Tempelman
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Ligler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D002021:Buffers; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D015200:Fluoroimmunoassay / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis / Q000382:microbiology; D055100:Optical Fibers; D013202:Staphylococcal Food Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000652:urine; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D002021:Buffers; D004768:Enterotoxins; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal