Development of a capillary based helicobacter hepaticus biosensor

Abstract

Helicobacter hepaticus causes hepatitis in mice. Infections with H. hepaticus can invalidate animal research studies and early detection helps curtail the spread of infection. The objective of this study was to develop a quick and accurate biosensor platform for the detection of H. hepaticus in fecal samples. This research investigated an optical immunosensor using capillary waveguides and a competitive immunoassay technique. H. hepaticus was immobilized to the inner wall of the capillary. A H. hepaticus antibody was conjugated to AlexaFluor 546 to serve as the fluorescent tracer and added to samples containing H. hepaticus. Sample H. hepaticus (analyte) bound to the antibodies in solution, thereby preventing the antibodies from attaching to the immobilized H. hepaticus. Several methods were utilized to analyze the fluorescence resulting from the immunoassay. Results showed the biosensor is capable of detecting low levels of H. hepaticus (1.0 ng) in an assay time of approximately one hour.