Porous silicon for bacteria detection

Abstract: Over the past decade, much effort has been directed toward the development of new bioassays and biosensors for the rapid detection of bacteria. This chapter provides an up-to-date review of various integrated approaches for bacterial detection by porous silicon (PSi)-based biosensors. These approaches can be divided into two main categories: ‘indirect’ and ‘direct’ bacteria detection. In the first route, detection is achieved by targeting only fractions of the bacterial cell or protein/DNA fragments that are secreted by the bacteria. In the second route, detection relies on direct binding of the entire bacterium cell to the PSi transducer via appropriate biorecognition elements.