Monitoring DPA release from a single germinating Bacillus subtilis endospore via surface-enhanced raman scattering microscopy

ANYL 186

David D. Evanoff Jr., evanoff@clemson.edu1, John Heckel, jheckel@clemson.edu2, Thomas P. Caldwell2, Kenneth A. Christensen, kchris@clemson.edu2, and George Chumanov, gchumak@clemson.edu2. (1) School of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson University, 91 Technology Drive, Anderson, SC 29625, (2) Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, 107 Biosystems Research Complex, Clemson, SC 29634
During the past decade there has been a great deal of emphasis placed on developing reliable and rapid methods for the detection of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. Detection methods utilizing staining, immunoassays, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and electrophoresis have been developed as well as several spectroscopic techniques such as photoluminescence, FT-IR, Raman, and CARS. While the former methods are better for differentiating between different Bacillus species, the latter spectroscopic techniques provide faster analysis times. In this report, a method for monitoring dipicolinic acid (DPA) release from a single germinating Bacillus subtilis endospore is presented. High S/N ratio SERS spectra were obtained with low excitation power and short collection times. This method, which is proof-of-principle for the SERS detection limit at the single spore level, represents a 100- to 1000-fold improvement over previously reported detection limits for SERS-based measurements of DPA in endospores.
 

General Posters
7:00 PM-9:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Sci-Mix
8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Sci-Mix

Division of Analytical Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007