Lang Nan, Liuting Zhou, Patrick Butaye, Ho Cheung Shum
Detection and analysis of single microorganisms enable ultrasensitive early-disease diagnosis and accurate profiling of microbial phenotypes and genotypes. Droplet microfluidics emerges as a powerful tool to isolate and manipulate single microbes with high precision and throughput. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms and functions of different droplet manipulation modules. We then highlight the applications of droplet microfluidics in ultrasensitive microbe detection using different culture-based and culture-free methods. In addition, we summarize recent advances in droplet-based high-throughput single-microbe screening and analysis. Finally, we present our perspectives on current challenges and future development of droplet-based single-microorganism detection and analysis.