Upconversion nanoparticle-based aptasensor for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of Staphylococcus aureus by low-speed centrifugation

Opportunistic foodborne pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can cause a wide variety of threats to public health. There is an urgent clinical need for a fast, simple, low-cost, and sensitive method. Here, we designed a fluorescence-based aptamer biosensor (aptasensor) for S. aureus detection using core–shell structured upconversion nanoparticles (CS-UCNPs) as a beacon. A S. aureus-specific aptamer was modified on the surface of CS-UCNPs for binding pathogens. The S. aureus bound to CS-UCNPs can then be isolated from the detection system by simple low-speed centrifugation. Thus, an aptasensor was successfully established for the detection of S. aureus. The fluorescence intensity of CS-UCNPs correlated with the concentration of S. aureus within the range of 6.36 × 10(2) to 6.36 × 10(8) CFU mL(−1), resulting in the detected limit of S. aureus being 60 CFU mL(−1). The aptasensor performed well in real food samples (milk) with a detection limit of 146 CFU mL(−1) for S. aureus. Furthermore, we applied our aptasensor in chicken muscles for S. aureus detection, and compared it with the plate count gold standard method. There was no significant difference between our aptasensor and the plate count method within the detected limit, while the time for the aptasensor (0.58 h) was shorter than that of the plate count method (3–4 d). Therefore, we succeeded in the design of a simple, sensitive and fast CS-UCNPs aptasensor for S. aureus detection. This aptasensor system would have the potential for the detection of a wide range of bacterial species by switching the corresponding aptamer.