Bio-hybrid gold nanoparticles as SERS probe for rapid bacteria cell identification

This study reports the utilization of engineered molecular networks between bacteriophage (or phage) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) prepared ablating a high purity gold target in water by nanosecond laser source. Gold colloids are assembled with P9b phage clone, displaying the specific peptide (QRKLAAKLT), able to bind P. aeruginosa. The single components and assembled systems were characterized by spectroscopic and electronic techniques, such as the conventional optical absorption and micro-Raman spectroscopies as well as the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) techniques. The performance of the AuNPs-phage assembly as substrate for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) was tested against the detection of the characteristics Raman vibrational features of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria