Polydiacetylene-Coated Sensor Strip for Immunochromatic Detection of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa

Abstract

This study presents a sensor strip for user-friendly, naked-eye detection of Xylella fasitdiosa, the bacterial causal agent of Pierce’s disease in grapevine. This sensor uses anti– X. fastidiosa antibodies conjugated to a polydiacetylene layer on a polyvinylidene fluoride strip to generate specific color transitions and discriminate levels of the pathogen. The detection limit of the sensor is 0.8 × 108 cells/mL, which is similar to bacterial load in grapevine 18 days following bacterial inoculation. This sensor enables equipment-free detection that is highly desirable for in-field diagnostic tools in resource-limited settings.