January 1 , 2006
ISSUE 1147
 
TECHNIQUE DEVELOPED TO QUICKLY DETECT PATHOGENS IN FOOD
 
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new technique to rapidly detect and precisely identify bacteria, including dangerous E. coli, without time-consuming treatments usually required.
 
The technique, called desorption electrospray ionization, or DESI, could be used to create a new class of fast, accurate detectors for applications ranging from food safety to homeland security.
 
Using a mass spectrometer to analyze bacteria and other microorganisms ordinarily takes several hours and requires that samples be specially treated and prepared in a lengthy series of steps. DESI eliminates the pretreatment steps, enabling researchers to take "fingerprints" of bacteria in less than a minute using a mass spectrometer.

New findings show how the Purdue researchers used the method to detect living, untreated bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium, both of which cause potentially fatal infections in humans.
 
The findings are detailed in a paper appearing Jan. 7 in the journal Chemical Communications.
 
Purdue researchers are focusing on three potential applications for detecting and identifying pathogens: food safety, medical analysis and homeland security.

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