Litmus testing to detect E. coli - and maybe even cancer
The good old litmus test has been adapted to detect pathogens such as E. coli in liquids.
An international research team based at McMaster University in Canada set out to make testing water, juice, milk and fluids faster, easier and more affordable by using litmus dyes and paper to detect the presence of bacteria.
Litmus testing measures the pH level of materials, so the researchers faced the challenge of translating the detection of bacteria into a pH response that would be easily determined.
The researchers say the method could be adapted to genetic and cancer testing. Their research has been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Authors Yingfu Li and Kha Tram outline their work and its potential applications in this video:
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