Bacterial metabolism-triggered-chemiluminescence-based point-of-care testing platform for sensitive detection and photothermal inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus

Post-operative pathogenic infections in liver transplantation seriously threaten human health. It is essential to develop novel methods for the highly sensitive and rapid detection of Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ). Interestingly, the combination of the property of bacteria to secrete hydrogen peroxidase , bacterial metabolism-triggered-chemiluminescence (CL)-based bioassays can be as a candidate point-of-care testing (POCT) for the detection of S. aureus against the CL substrate Luminol and hydrogen peroxide without excitation light sources. Here, a CL-based strategy with stable and visualized CL intensity was fabricated according to a hybrid biomimetic enzyme of copper-Hemin metal-organic framework, which enhances the biological enzyme activity while improving the stability and sensitivity of the assay. By further integrating S. aureus -specific capture and one-step separation of the antibody-modified Fe 3 O 4 NPs (Fe 3 O 4 NPs@Ab), the portable device integrated smartphone enables CL-based POCT for specific detection of S. aureu s in the range of 10 1 –10 6  CFU/mL with a limit of detection as low as 1 CFU/mL. Specifically, S. aureus can be eliminated after detection with high antibacterial efficiency due to the excellent photothermal properties of Fe 3 O 4 NPs@Ab. The developed multifunctional platform has the advantages of simplicity of operation and low cost, indicating great potential in clinical applications.