A Microfluidic Device for Rapid Screening of E. coli O157:H7 Based on IFAST and ATP Bioluminescence Assay for Water Analysis

We present a simple microfluidic system for rapid screening of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 employing the specificity of immunomagnetic separation (IMS) via immiscible filtration assisted by surface tension (IFAST), and the sensitivity of the subsequent adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay by the bioluminescence luciferin/luciferase reaction. The developed device was capable of detecting E. coli O157:H7 from just 6 colony forming units (CFU) in 1 mL spiked buffer within 20 min. When tested with wastewater discharged effluent samples, without pre-concentration, the device demonstrated the ability to detect 104 CFU per mL seeded; suggesting great potential for point-of-need microbiological water quality monitoring.