Advances in detection of infectious agents by aptamer-based technologies

Figures & data

Table 1. Bullet points for aptamer advantages.

High affinity with dissociation constant (KD) in a nanomolar-to-picomolar range High binding specificity for a wide range of targets Synthesis in vitro with high purity and a low cost Flexible modification by a variety of chemical markers Small molecular weight, good stability and renewability Easily to be developed in multifaceted and high throughput assay format

Figure 1. Pathogens potentially detectable by aptamer-based assays. Pathogens which are possibly detected by aptamer-based assays are categorized into three major microorganisms, bacteria, viruses and protozoan parasites.

Table 2. Aptamers used in detection of bacteria and their products.

Bacterial types	Aptamer	Target	Method
Tuberculosis [9]	H63SL2-M6	HspX	Aptamer linked immobilized sorbent assay and electrochemical sensor
Tuberculosis [18]	Thiolated MPT64 aptamer	MPT64	Combination of aptamers and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Tuberculosis [19]	MAA I and MAA II	MPT64	A sandwich-type electrochemical aptasensor
Salmonella [10]	LA27	LPS	Truncated aptamer LA27 combined with GO-based FP assays
Salmonella [20]	Apt-E. coli Apt-S. typ	E. coli S. typ	Aptamer modified by fluorescent magnetic multifunctional nanoprobe (APT-FMNPs)
S. aureus [21]	Chimeric S. aureus aptamer	Staphylococcal enterotoxin	Fluorescent detection based on finely designed chimaera aptamer, MB elements and chain displacement
L. monocytogenes [22]	LM6-116	Members of Listeria genus	Two-site binding sandwich assay
E. coli [23]	Aptamers for S. enterica, E. coli and L. monocytogenes	S. enterica, E. coli, L. monocytogenes	Multiplexed bar-chart SpinChip integrated with PtNPs-mediated magnetic aptasensor
E. coli [24]	E1	E. coli O157:H7	Aptamer binding microchip capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence (MCE-LIF)

Table 3. Targets of pathogenic viruses for development of specific aptamers.

Type of viruses	Aptamer	Target	Method
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [11]	HIV ssDNA aptamer	HIV-1 gene	Molecularly imprinted polymer electrochemi- luminescence sensor
HIV [28]	AntiTat	HIV-TAT protein	Spectroscopic ellipsometer
Hepatitis B virus [30]	A thiol-modified aptamer against HBsAg	HBsAg	Chemiluminescent aptamer-sensor based on rapid magnetic separation
Hepatitis C virus [32]	Core-specific DNA aptamer	HCV core antigen	Electrochemical aptamer sensor based on graphene quantum dots
Hepatitis C virus [33]	HCVcp ssDNA aptamer	HCVcp	A plasmonic nanoplatform
Human papillomavirus [34]	HPV16 L1 ssRNA aptamer	HPV16 L1 protein	The laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry method
Human papillomavirus [35]	HPV-07	HPV16 virus-like particle (VLP)	Slow abscission rate-modified DNA aptamer
Influenza [37]	NP-specific aptamer, CTnI-specific aptamer	Influenza nucleoprotein (NP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI).	Paper-based transverse flow immunoassay (LFIA) using sandwich immunoassay
SARS-CoV [43]	ssDNA	nucleocapsid protein	Aptamer-based Western blot analysis
Norovirus [40,41]	Aptamer-6-FAM, Bt-Apt-Fc	norovirus capsid protein, VP1,	Paper-based microfluidic device or microfluidic platform integrated with graphene-gold nano-composite aptasensor
SARS-CoV-2	Not available	Spike protein	To be developed

Table 4. Targets of pathogenic parasites for development of specific aptamers.

Type of parasites	Aptamer	Target	Method
Trypanosoma cruzi [11]	Apt68	Mammalian stage trypomastigotes	Streptavidin paramagnetic beads coated with biotinylated Apt68
Leishmania [28]	LmWC-25R; LmHSP 7b/11R	Leishmania promastigote protein extracts	Fluorescent enzyme-linked DNA aptamer-magnetic bead sandwich assay
Plasmodium for malaria [30]	P38 or NG3	Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase and plasmodium falciparum glutamate dehydrogenase	Dye coupled aptamer-captured enzyme catalysed reaction

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