376c Simultaneous Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxins in Buffer and Honey Using a Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor

Jon Ladd1, Allen D. Taylor2, Jiri Homola3, and Shaoyi Jiang2. (1) University of Washington, Box 351750 / Benson Hall, Seattle, WA 98195-1750, (2) Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Benson Hall/Box 351750, Seattle, WA 98195, (3) Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics, Chaberska 57, Prague, 18251, Czech Republic

Clostridium botulinum organisms produce seven different serotypes of neurotoxin. Identification of the serotype involved in a case of intoxication is important because of the varying levels of toxicity among the serotypes. The ability to quickly and accurately detect and distinguish serotypes would be a marked improvement for immunosensor technology. The work presented uses a surface plasmon resonance biosensor developed at the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics to simultaneously detect three serotypes of neurotoxin in under one hour. These three serotypes, A, B and F, have all been implicated in cases of human botulism. Detection limits for individual toxin samples were established between 0.5 ng/mL and 1 ng/mL for all three serotypes. Detections were also performed on a mixture of all four serotypes in buffer, as well as in a 20% honey solution. Detections in mixtures and complex matrices showed good agreement with detections of individual toxins in buffer.