SERS based rapid and ultrasensitive detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus infection named Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), prevalent in Asia-pacific countries, requires an accurate and rapid diagnosis to contain the outbreak of the disease. In cases of low viral load in early-stage infections, this task becomes difficult. Therefore, we have developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based biosensor for rapid, sensitive, and early-stage detection of JE antigen. In this work, silver nanoparticles were deposited over a glass coverslip and used as a substrate for designing the sensing platform. Silver Nanoparticles have good metallic properties and plasmon activity. Therefore, it amplifies the Raman signals and provides a suitable surface for the SERS substrate. The developed platform has been used for the detection of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). The fabricated sensor shows a linear response from 5 ng/mL to 80 ng/mL with a limit of detection (LoD) of similar to 7.6 ng/mL. Therefore, this method could be a significant addition to the diagnostic modalities for early, sensitive, and specific diagnoses of JE antigen even at the nanogram level.

Automated summary

In this study, a biosensor based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was developed for rapid, sensitive, and early-stage detection of Japanese encephalitis (JE) antigen. By depositing silver nanoparticles on a glass coverslip as the substrate for the sensing platform, a suitable surface for SERS was provided. The fabricated sensor showed a linear response in cases of low viral load and could be used for specific diagnosis at the nanogram level.