Strategies for quorum sensing inhibition as a tool for controlling Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most important concerns in global health today. A growing number of infections are becoming harder to treat with conventional drugs and fewer new antibiotics are being developed. In this context, strategies based on blocking or attenuating virulence pathways that do not focus on eradication of bacteria are potential therapeutic approaches that should reduce the selective pressure exerted on the pathogen.

A paper biosensor for overcoming matrix effects interfering with the detection of sputum pyocyanin with competitive immunoassays.

Detecting sputum pyocyanin (PYO) with a competitive immunoassay is a promising approach for diagnosing Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections. However, it is not possible to perform a negative control to evaluate matrix-effects in competitive immunoassays, and the highly complex sputum matrix often interferes with target detection. Here, we show that these issues are alleviated by performing competitive immunoassays with a paper biosensor.

Engineering a Point-of-Care Paper-Microfluidic Electrochemical Device Applied to the Multiplexed Quantitative Detection of Biomarkers in Sputum.

Health initiatives worldwide demand affordable point-of-care devices to aid in the reduction of morbidity and mortality rates of high-incidence infectious and noncommunicable diseases. However, the production of robust and reliable easy-to-use diagnostic platforms showing the ability to quantitatively measure several biomarkers in physiological fluids and that could in turn be decentralized to reach any relevant environment remains a challenge. Here, we show the particular combination of paper-microfluidic technology, electrochemical transduction, and magnetic nanoparticle-based immunoassay approaches to produce a unique, compact, and easily deployable multiplex device to simultaneously measure interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, and myeloperoxidase biomarkers in sputum, developed with the aim of facilitating the timely detection of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus by Triplex Enhanced Nucleic Acid Detection Assay (TENADA).

SARS-CoV-2, a positive-strand RNA virus has caused devastating effects. The standard method for COVID diagnosis is based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The method needs expensive reagents and equipment and well-trained personnel and takes a few hours to be completed.

An Immunochemical Approach to Detect the Quorum Sensing-Regulated Virulence Factor 2-Heptyl-4-Quinoline N-Oxide (HQNO) Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolates.

Understanding quorum sensing (QS) and its role in the development of pathogenesis may provide new avenues for diagnosing, surveillance, and treatment of infectious diseases. For this purpose, the availability of reliable and efficient analytical diagnostic tools suitable to specifically detect and quantify these essential QS small molecules and QS regulated virulence factors is crucial. Here, we reported the development and evaluation of antibodies and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for HQNO (2-heptyl-4-quinoline N-oxide), a QS product of the PqsR system, which has been found to act as a major virulence factor that interferes with the growth of other microorganisms.