Bacteriophage-based electrochemical biosensor

A kit for the detection of a target bacterium, the kit comprising:

• a capture element comprising a substrate, a surface of the substrate being functionalized with at least one capturing bacteriophage;
• a detection element comprising at least one detection bacteriophage conjugated to a signal amplification element;
• and
• a signal detection device communicatively connected to the capture element,
• wherein the capturing bacteriophage and the detection bacteriophage are configured to bind to the target bacterium.

A method of detecting a target bacterium in a sample, the method comprising:

• performing a capture incubation step, the step comprising introducing a capture element to the sample and incubating for a pre-determined capture time;
• following the capture incubation step, performing a sandwich incubation step, the step comprising introducing a detection element to the capture element and incubating for a pre-determined sandwich time;
• and
• following the sandwich incubation step, generating a signal to detect the target bacterium,
• wherein the capture element comprises a substrate and a capturing bacteriophage functionalized thereon, and
• wherein the detection element comprises a detection bacteriophage conjugated to a signal amplification element.