A cell wall-targeted organic-inorganic hybrid nano-catcher for ultrafast capture and SERS detection of invasive fungi

Due to the extended culture period and various inconveniences in vitro culture, the detection of invasive fungi is rather difficult, leading to high mortality rates of the diseases caused by them. It is, however, crucial for clinical therapy and lowering patient mortality to quickly identify invasive fungus from clinical specimens. A promising non-destructive method for finding fungi is surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), however, its substrate has a low level of selectivity. Clinical sample components can obstruct the target fungi's SERS signal on account of their complexity. Herein, an MNP@PNIPAMAA hybrid organic-inorganic nano-catcher was created by using ultrasonic-initiated polymerization. The caspofungin (CAS), a fungus cell wall-targeting drug, is used in this study. We investigated MNP@PNIPAMAA-CAS as a technique to rapidly extract fungus from complex samples under 3 s. SERS could subsequently be used to instantly identify the fungi that were successfully isolated with an efficacy rate of about 75%. The entire process took just 10 min. This method is an important breakthrough that might be advantageous in terms of the rapid detection of invasive fungi.

Automated summary

Due to the difficulties in detecting invasive fungi through extended culture periods and inconveniences in vitro culture, a non-destructive method called surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been developed to quickly identify invasive fungi from clinical specimens. In this study, an MNP@PNIPAMAA hybrid organic-inorganic nano-catcher was created using ultrasonic-initiated polymerization. By using this technique, fungus can be rapidly extracted from complex samples in just 3 seconds, and SERS can be used to instantly identify the isolated fungi with an efficacy rate of about 75%. The entire process takes only 10 minutes. This method is a significant breakthrough for the rapid detection of invasive fungi.