Aptamer-Based Technologies in Foodborne Pathogen Detection

Abstract

Aptamers are single stranded DNA or RNA ligands, which can be selected by a method called systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX); and they can specifically recognize and bind to their targets. These unique characteristics of aptamers offer great potentials in applications such as pathogen detection and biomolecular screening. Pathogen detection is the critical means in detecting and identifying the problems related to public health and food safety; and only the rapid, sensitive and efficient detection technologies can enable the users to make the accurate assessments on the risks of infections (humans and animals) or contaminations (foods and other commodities) caused by various pathogens. This article reviews the development in the field of the aptamer-based approaches for pathogen detection, including whole-cell SELEX and Genomic SELEX. Nowadays, a variety of aptamer-based biosensors have been developed for pathogen detection. Thus, in this review, we also cover the development in aptamer-based biosensors including optical biosensors for multiple pathogen detection by multiple-labeling or label-free models such as fluorescence detection and surface plasmon resonance, electrochemical biosensors and lateral chromatography test strips, and their applications in pathogen detection and biomolecular screening. While notable progress has been made in the field in the last decade, challenges or drawbacks in their applications such as pathogen detection and biomolecular screening remain to be overcome.

Hydrogel Based Biosensors for In Vitro Diagnostics of Biochemicals, Proteins, and Genes

“…The antibodies are typical biomolecules applied to the biosensors; however recent advances of aptamers have allowed extensive use of these molecules. Aptamers offer various advantages such as their specific binding affinities to a wider range of target molecules and simple preparation methods . A variety of hydrogel have been applied in the development of aptamer‐based biosensors as a simple, robust, rapid detection system .…”

Development of novel aptamer‐based enzyme‐linked apta‐sorbent assay (ELASA) for rapid detection of mariculture pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus

“…There are also kinds of aptamers generated against various bacterial targets, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus , V. parahaemolyticus and Salmonella typhimurium (Duan, Wu, Chen, Huang, & Wang, ; Duan et al, ), V. alginolyticus (Yu, Liu, Su, et al, ; Tang, Zheng, Yan, Li, & Li, ; Zheng et al, ), V. harveyi (Zheng, Hao, Song, & Liu, ) and Aeromonas hydrophila (Li, Wang, Chen, & Li, ). Aptamers have been widely applied in different important research areas, including drug‐specific delivery (Loo et al, ; Zhao et al, ), pathogen diagnosis (Li et al, ; Li, Wei, et al, ; Li, Zhou, et al, ; Teng et al, ; Yu, Liu, Wei, et al, ; Zhou et al, ), toxin analysis (Huang et al, ; Yan et al, ) and disease pathogenesis research (Bunka & Stockley, ). The excellent characteristics of easy synthesis, low immunogenicity, innocuity and high specificity and stability make aptamers ideal alternatives to antibodies (Toh et al, ).…”

Development of a fluorescence assay for highly sensitive detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on an aptamer-carbon dots/graphene oxide system

“…To resolve this issue, three aptamer-CDs/GO systems using aptamer candidates of PA1, PA2, and PA4 were generated to implement the uorescence assay. [19][20][21][22]…”