Issue 7, 2019

On the origin of electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-SERS) signals for bacterial samples: the importance of filtered control studies in the development of new bacterial screening platforms

Abstract

The field of point-of-need (PON) screening is currently lacking a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method for bacterial detection. Such a method would prove invaluable for the efficient identification of pathogenic bacteria that result in a host of human infections and plague the healthcare sector. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has increasingly been put forward as a viable candidate for a bacterial detection and identification platform due to its excellent sensitivity and the corresponding rich vibrational signature. Recently, there has been significant debate within the SERS community as to the origin of the observed SERS signals for cultured bacterial samples. This uncertainty stems from the remarkable similarity among many of the observed SERS signals for a vast array of bacteria, suggesting the spectral features may have a common origin. Electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-SERS) has recently been shown to largely improve upon the sensitivity of SERS for detection of bacteria. In this report, we will highlight the importance of conducting control studies using filtered bacterial samples. Using a 0.2 μm syringe filter to remove all bacterial cells from the examined sample, which is confirmed via scanning electron microscopy, this study demonstrates an excellent control for determining the origin of the bacterial signal in EC-SERS measurements. Our findings strongly support the argument that SERS spectra observed for bacterial cultures originate from small molecule metabolites released by the bacteria in response to environmental stressors.

Graphical abstract: On the origin of electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-SERS) signals for bacterial samples: the importance of filtered control studies in the development of new bacterial screening platforms

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 ១១ 2018
Accepted
14 ១ 2019
First published
14 ១ 2019

Anal. Methods, 2019,11, 924-929

On the origin of electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-SERS) signals for bacterial samples: the importance of filtered control studies in the development of new bacterial screening platforms

K. E. R. McLeod, T. P. Lynk, C. S. Sit and Christa L. Brosseau, Anal. Methods, 2019, 11, 924 DOI: 10.1039/C8AY02613K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements