Background

Harmful microbes are present in a variety of sources including water, food, plants, environment, and through human-to-human transmission. The ability to detect them rapidly at low cost is important to protecting the health and safety of humans and animals and the security of food chains. MSU researchers have developed novel magnetic nanoparticles for quickly extracting pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes) from a variety of complex matrices. This allows enhancing the sensitivity of biosensors and other diagnostics for rapid detection of these pathogens.