Vibrio bacteria stand as major pathogens in the aquaculture industry, triggering Vibriosis-a disease that can cause mortality rates of up to 90% within two days. This not only results in billions of dollars in economic losses globally but also poses a threat to food safety through contaminated aquatic products. Conventional detection methods for Vibrio require three to five days to yield results, and they often involve additional sterilization steps, making it nearly impossible to promptly control the spread of Vibrio infections.
To address this challenge, a research team led by Prof. CHEN Lingxin from the Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed edged-satellite AuAg nanoparticles (ES-AuAgNPs). These nanoparticles (NPs) boast several characteristics, including alloyed Ag/Au composition, an edge-satellite structural design, and integrated antimicrobial components. Collectively, these properties equip ES-AuAgNPs with enhanced peroxidase (POD)-like catalytic activity, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance, and antibacterial capabilities.
By leveraging the triple performance of ES-AuAgNPs and integrating a modified specific aptamer probe, the research team has designed a portable, modular, and centimeter-sized platform. This platform is capable of simultaneously screening for, validating, and eliminating three pandemic marine Vibrio species: Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio alginolyticus.
The platform operates through a coordinated multi-step mechanism. First, its POD-like catalytic-based colorimetric capability allows for rapid screening of the presence of these Vibrio bacteria via a visible color change, enabling on-site personnel to quickly identify potential infection risks. Second, the SERS-based detection function validates the identity of the detected bacteria with multiplexing capability. Meanwhile, the inherent antibacterial properties of ES-AuAgNPs ensure that once the bacteria are detected and identified, they can be effectively eliminated.
The platform has demonstrated notable performance in rapid screening (2 minutes), sensitive validation (limit of detection, ~ 50 CFU/mL), and efficient antimicrobility (45 min, 100%). This integrated platform, built around ES-AuAgNPs, is widely expected to improve aquaculture management practices by enabling seamless analysis and elimination of Vibrio bacteria.
This study, recently published in Advanced Science, was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Research Foundation of Korea.
Figure 1. (a) Principle of ES-AuAgNPs synthetization. (b) TEM images of ES-AuAgNPs fabricated with various HAuCl4 concentrations. (c) SEM image of the optimized ES-AuAgNPs, along with EDS mapping and electric field simulation. (Image by Prof. CHEN Lingxin's team)
Figure 2. Multi-performance evaluation of ES-AuAgNPs: (a) Comparison with various nanomaterials, (b) POD performance evaluation, (c) SERS performance evaluation, (d) antibacterial performance evaluation, and (e) stability evaluation. (Image by Prof. CHEN Lingxin's team)
Figure 3. Construction of the Vibrio "screening-identification-sterilization" integrated platform. (a) Components, (b) integrated process and (c) analytical principle. (Image by Prof. CHEN Lingxin's team)
Figure 4. Three-function evaluation of the Vibrio "screening-identification-sterilization" integrated platform. (a) POD-based colorimetric screening function, (b and c) SERS-based identification function, and (d) sterilization function. (Image by Prof. CHEN Lingxin's team)
