Rapid Detection of Staphylococcus aureus from Gym Environments for Health Risk Monitoring Using Printed Nanochains-Based Biosensors

Gyms are indoor environments in which many people perform physical exercise and could potentially increase the risks of bacterial contamination and dissemination. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the most prevalent bacteria in community-acquired infections; thus, the rapid detection and continuous monitoring of S. aureus are crucial for evaluating the hygienic status of gym environments. This work describes the fabrication of a nanochain-based biosensor for S. aureus detection using carboxyl-modified polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles functionalized with a specific antibody. When target bacteria bind to the nanochains, they yield distinct color changes which support the directly visualizable analysis of optical images, recorded using optical microscopy or even a smart mobile phone. In addition to high portability, this biosensor is also capable of the quantification and continuous monitoring of the bacterial load in a gym environment over a broad linear range (100 CFU/mL~105 CFU/mL), with a detection limit of 1 CFU/mL. In summary, this study validated the applicability of the biosensors for the rapid detection and real-time monitoring of gym environmental pathogens.