A microfluidic fluidized bed to capture, amplify and detect bacteria from raw samples.

Bacterial contamination and subsequent infections are a major threat to human health. An early detection in the food chain, clinics or the environment, is key to limit this threat. We present a new concept to develop low-cost hand-held devices for the ultra-sensitive and specific detection of bacteria in a one-step process of 2-8h, directly from complex raw samples.

Advanced immunocapture of milk-borne Salmonella by microfluidic magnetically stabilized fluidized bed.

The success of microfluidic immunocapture based on magnetic beads depends primarily on a sophisticated microscale separation system and on the quality of the magnetic immunosorbent. A microfluidic chip containing a magnetically stabilized fluidized bed (μMSFB), developed for the capture and on-chip amplification of bacteria, was recently described by Pereiro et al..

A new microfluidic approach for the one-step capture, amplification and label-free quantification of bacteria from raw samples.

A microfluidic method to specifically capture and detect infectious bacteria based on immunorecognition and proliferative power is presented. It involves a microscale fluidized bed in which magnetic and drag forces are balanced to retain antibody-functionalized superparamagnetic beads in a chamber during sample perfusion. Captured cells are then cultivated by infusing nutritionally-rich medium.