Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Used for Selective Isolation and Detection of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract In this work, a novel method was developed, using molecular imprinting, based on dopamine as a functional monomer, for isolation of S. aureus from complex (food) samples and fluorescence microscopy for detection. Conditions for preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), adsorption performance, adsorption kinetic, and selectivity of the polymeric layers were investigated. The various procedures were combined in a single extraction process, with the imprinted layer on the surface of the magnetic particles (magnetic MIPs). Subsequently, MIPs were used for extraction of S. aureus from milk or rice. Moreover, raw milk from cows with from mastitis was tested successfully. Using this novel MIP-based method, it was possible to detect bacteria in milk at 1x103 CFU·ml−1, which corresponds to the limit set in European Union legislation for microbial control of food.