Portable biosensor for the detection of Enrofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin antibiotic residues in food, body fluids, environmental and wastewater samples.

Enrofloxacin (ENR) and its metabolite Ciprofloxacin (CIP) are both a class of fluoroquinolone antibiotics effective against a broad-spectrum microbial infection. Recent surge in the consumption of CIP and ENR has been linked to increased cases of drug-resistant pathogens. This is due to the fact that the antibiotic residues remain in milk, meat, soil and environmental water for a prolonged duration. Although gold standard methods such as LC-MS are sensitive, they suffer from expensive operation and maintenance cost, and would need dedicated facilities and tedious sample preparation steps. Such limitations make on site detection impossible for regulatory bodies in developing countries. To address this issue, we developed a portable device that can detect the presence of CIP and ENR antibiotics in the range of parts per billion (ppb) concentrations accurately. It consists of a polyaniline (PAni) coated U-bent optical fiber with anti-ENR/CIP antibody immobilized on the polymer surface. The sensor relies on the principle of evanescent wave absorbance by antigen-antibody complex. The sensor showed limit of detection (LOD) of 1 ppb with a linear range of operation from 1 ppb to 500 ppb (R2 = 0.96-0.99) in lake water, waste water treatment plant effluent, urine, blood serum, milk and meat samples. The recovery of the sensor ranges from 88% to 120% indicating reasonable accuracy. The sensor has excellent selectivity towards CIP and ENR and showed stability for four weeks indicating its field deployability and robustness. The portable sensor is scalable and contract has been given to an industry partner to mass manufacture the device.

Portable Biosafety Barrier Innovations to Limit Transmissibility of Infectious Diseases during Patient Care in Resource-limited Settings during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about a change in healthcare practices that are likely to persist into the foreseeable future. In particular, is the exposure risk to the healthcare practitioners in the emergency department (ED) and the intensive care units. Mitigating this issue in a low-resource setting remains challenging, and in particular, in developing nations such as India, where ED patient flows can overwhelm a system and its human resources, breaking down processes and infecting healthcare workers (HCWs). Technique: To tackle this and the possible lack of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), we designed and built biosafety barrier devices using local resources for use in patient stabilization, transport, and continued care in the ED or the intensive care units. Results: Four biosafety devices bio-safe levels 1 and 2, ultra-ductile portable interface of interventions in infections, and tented transport trolley for transmissibility (4T) were tested for the feasibility of usage for patient care during the pandemic with simulation. Conclusion: We anticipate that with time it may be common practice for in situ isolation of patients in the emergency departments with a suspicion of an infectious disease. With the proof of concept, simulation, hospital infection control committee (HICC) approval, and trial run, we look to close the gaps that exist in these initial innovations. How to cite this article: Balakrishnan JM, Sirur FM, Prakash N, Bhat R, Wilson W, Angadi B, et al. Portable Biosafety Barrier Innovations to Limit Transmissibility of Infectious Diseases during Patient Care in Resource-limited Settings during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(9):1036-1038.