SERS of meso-droplets supported on superhydrophobic wires allows exquisitely sensitive detection of dipicolinic acid, an anthrax biomarker, considerably below the infective dose

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman measurements of <1 μL analyte/colloid meso-droplets on superhydrophobic wires with hydrophilic tips allowed dipicolinic acid, a spore biomarker for Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), to be detected at 10-6 mol dm-3. This is equivalent to 18 spores, significantly below the infective dose of 104 spores and 2 orders of magnitude better than previous measurements.