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

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.