Infectious diseases are a major problem for both human as well as plant health. Fast and specific detection is needed to combat these diseases. We developed near infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanosensors and used them for fingerprinting of clinically important bacteria and pathogen responses in plants. They are based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) that fluoresce in the NIR optical tissue transparency window. They were chemically tailored to detect metabolites as well as specific virulence factors (lipopolysaccharides, siderophores,…) and integrated into hydrogel arrays. It allowed us to detect important bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus,…) by remote (≥25 cm) NIR imaging. In another approach we developed nanosensors that change their spectral signature in response to polyphenols, which are released by plants exposed to insects and pathogens. They visualized the plant’s chemical defense remotely in the NIR, which shows the huge potential for monitoring of pathogens.
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