Rapid and specific SPRi detection of L. pneumophila in complex environmental water samples.
Legionellosis is a very devastating disease worldwide mainly due to unpredictable outbreaks in man-made water systems. Developing a highly specific and sensitive rapid detection system that detects only metabolically active bacteria is a main priority for water quality assessment. We previously developed a versatile technique for sensitive and specific detection of synthetic RNA. In the present work, we further investigated the performance of the developed biosensor for detection of Legionella pneumophila in complex environmental samples, particularly those containing protozoa. The specificity and sensitivity of the detection system were verified using total RNA extracted from L. pneumophila in spiked water co-cultured with amoebae. We demonstrated that the expression level of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is extremely dependent on the environmental conditions. The presence of amoebae with L. pneumophila, especially in nutrition-deprived samples, increased the amount of L. pneumophila 15-fold after 1 week as measured through the expression of 16s rRNA. Using the developed surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) detection method, we were also able to successfully detect L. pneumophila within 3 h, both in the presence and absence of amoebae in the complex environmental samples obtained from a cooling water tower. These findings suggest that the developed biosensing system is a viable method for rapid, real-time and effective detection not only for L. pneumophila in environmental samples but also to assess the risk associated with the use of water contaminated with other pathogens.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
Amir M
AM
Foudeh
Hana
H
Trigui
Nilmini
N
Mendis
Sebastien P
SP
Faucher
Teodor
T
Veres
Maryam
M
Tabrizian
D000656:Amoeba / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000382:microbiology*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S