About this Research Topic
Waterborne diseases have become a major public health concern worldwide, affecting more than half of the world's population. Approximately one billion people rely on contaminated water sources, resulting in over 2 million annual deaths from diarrheal diseases. Water quality for potable and recreational purposes has been evaluated solely through the culture-dependent enumeration and detection of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such as total coliforms, Escherichia coli, or Enterococci. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholerae, and Clostridium spp are the other pathogens of concern causing waterborne illnesses. Therefore, precise and accurate detection of such microbes is one of the strategic objectives in water quality monitoring. Hence, the goal of this Research Topic will be to highlight cutting-edge research and hypotheses in the field of sensing technologies for the detection and quantification of waterborne bacteria and associated diseases, traditional and biosensor-based identification, and the impactful use of nanomaterials in sensing of bacteria.
The portability of the sensing technology has been realized through the development of cost-effective and miniaturized biosensors overcoming the complex equipment requirement, thus providing sensitivity, specificity and ease of use. Hence, portable devices have a high potential for on-field detection of waterborne pathogens fulfilling the need for species level discrimination. The goal of the proposed theme is to encompass details from quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to breakthroughs like nanotechnology-based electrochemical/optical sensors for detection of waterborne pathogens.
The current themed issue will highlight the research on nucleic acid tests (NAT), optical and electrochemical transducers based on nucleic acid, antibody, aptamer, and enzyme. We will also pursue research papers on next-generation technologies, such as nanotechnology-based electrochemical/optical sensors or lab-on-chip platforms for pathogen detection. This proposed Research Topic will focus on waterborne bacteria and the development of NAT and biosensors for their detection and quantification.
• Nucleic acid testing including qPCR and isothermal amplification methods
• Electrochemical, optical, and colorimetric sensors for pathogen detection
• Emerging lab-on-chip, CRISPR-Cas, and microfluidic sensors
• Miniaturized devices in production with public-quality assurance
• Regulatory aspects for monitoring the biological contamination in water
• Artificial intelligence driven detection of bacteria
The portability of the sensing technology has been realized through the development of cost-effective and miniaturized biosensors overcoming the complex equipment requirement, thus providing sensitivity, specificity and ease of use. Hence, portable devices have a high potential for on-field detection of waterborne pathogens fulfilling the need for species level discrimination. The goal of the proposed theme is to encompass details from quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to breakthroughs like nanotechnology-based electrochemical/optical sensors for detection of waterborne pathogens.
The current themed issue will highlight the research on nucleic acid tests (NAT), optical and electrochemical transducers based on nucleic acid, antibody, aptamer, and enzyme. We will also pursue research papers on next-generation technologies, such as nanotechnology-based electrochemical/optical sensors or lab-on-chip platforms for pathogen detection. This proposed Research Topic will focus on waterborne bacteria and the development of NAT and biosensors for their detection and quantification.
• Nucleic acid testing including qPCR and isothermal amplification methods
• Electrochemical, optical, and colorimetric sensors for pathogen detection
• Emerging lab-on-chip, CRISPR-Cas, and microfluidic sensors
• Miniaturized devices in production with public-quality assurance
• Regulatory aspects for monitoring the biological contamination in water
• Artificial intelligence driven detection of bacteria
Keywords: Waterborne Pathogens, Water Quality, Electrochemical Biosensors, Optical biosensors, Nanotechnology, Nucleic Acid Test
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