In Situ Synthesis of Luminescent Au Nanoclusters on a Bacterial Template for Rapid Detection, Quantification, and Distinction of Kanamycin-Resistant Bacteria

[Image: see text] Herein, we introduce a new facile method of luminescent gold nanocluster (Au NC) synthesis on the surface of bacteria for detection, counting, and strain differentiation. The limit of detection was 740 ± 14 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL for the Gram-negative and was 634 ± 16 CFU/mL for the Gram-positive bacteria. Brief treatment with lysozyme could differentiate the Gram strains based on their luminescence intensities. The current method could also detect bacterial contaminants from water sources and kanamycin-resistant strains rapidly. This quick synthesis of Au NCs on a bacterial template attributes an easy and rapid method for enumeration and detection of bacterial contaminants and kanamycin-resistant strains.