A rapid, simple, and sensitive immunoagglutination assay with silica nanoparticles for serotype identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

An agglutination test based on colored silica nanoparticles (colored SiNps) was established to detect serotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Monodisperse colored SiNps were used as agglutination test carriers. The colored SiNps were prepared through reverse microemulsion with reactive dyes, sensitized with 11 kinds of mono-specific antibodies against P. aeruginosa, and denoted as IgG-colored SiNps. Eleven kinds of IgG-colored SiNps were individually mixed with P. aeruginosa on a glass slide. Different serotypes of P. aeruginosa could be identified by agglutination test with evident agglutination. The P. aeruginosa could be detected in a range from 3.6 × 105 to 3.6 × 1012 cfu mL−1. This new agglutination test was confirmed to be a specific, sensitive, fast, easy-to-perform, and cost-efficient tool for the routine diagnosis of P. aeruginosa.