Portable automation technology for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens

According to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2011, approximately 48 million Americans get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die each year from food poisoning, also known as foodborne illness. Bacteria are the source of many food poisoning cases because they can multiply and spread in foods that are contaminated. Symptoms of food poisoning can vary and develop as quickly as thirty minutes to up to several days after eating the infected food. Rapid methods for detection of these foodborne pathogens are necessary to protect the public health and to ensure food safety. Current detection methods rely on having to take the samples to the laboratory for analysis, which is often a time consuming, costly and laborious process. More importantly, the lack of real-time data hampers proper and timely decision making. The proposed portable and automated instrument is capable of rapid detections of foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 and salmonella with selectivity and sensitivity that can only be achieved today with laboratory-based manually performed procedures. As such, the proposed technology will help ensure a safe food supply by improving our ability to detect foodborne pathogens, and reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses and death. To this end, the proposed research effort will satisfy one of the five primary USDA NIFA Societal Challenge Areas: Food Safety.