Detecting staphylococcal enterotoxin B using an automated fiber optic biosensor

The Man-portable Analyte identification System (MANTIS), the first fully au tomated, self-contained, portable fiber optic biosensor, was utilized for t he detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB), a bacterial toxin produ ced by Staphylococcus nul-eus that commonly causes food poisoning. Because of its remarkable toxicity and stability, SEE is considered a prime threat as a biological weapon of mass destruction. The assay for SEE was used to e valuate the MANTIS' ability to function in the presence of various environm ental interferents. The sensor could reliably detect SEE spiked into liquid samples containing a variety of smoke particles. However, substantial inte rference occurred when SEE was mixed into matrices capable of adsorbing SEE , such as 1% solutions of clay, topsoil, or pollen. Of equal importance, no ne of the interferents produced false positives in the MANTIS. The MANTIS d emonstrated the capability to perform simultaneous immunoassays rapidly in the field with little or no user intervention. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S. A. All rights reserved.