Digital Quantification and Ultrasensitive Detection of Single Influenza Virus Using Microgel-in-Droplet Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Anal Chem. 2024 Oct 15;96(41):16134-16144. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02429. Epub 2024 Oct 3.

Abstract

Detection and quantification of viral particles (VPs) facilitate both diagnostics of pathogenic viruses and quality control testing of virus-based products. However, existing technologies fail to afford concurrent ultrasensitive detection and large-scale absolute quantification of VPs. Here, we propose a digital Microgel-in-Droplet enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system that enables the processing and monitoring of millions of ELISA reactions at the single-VP level by incorporating droplet microfluidics with sandwich ELISA. Upon validating the microfluidic workflow and optimizing ELISA parameters, we demonstrate ultrasensitive VP detection at a limit of detection of 56 PFU/test. Leveraging a fluorescence-based screening platform, we further realize high-throughput digital counting of VPs with a linear detection range of 500-64 000 PFU/test. The precision is comparable to that of the gold standard, the plaque assay, across a wide range of virus concentrations. We anticipate that our system will provide a novel paradigm for the absolute enumeration of various types of viral particles.

MeSH terms

  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* / methods
  • Humans
  • Limit of Detection
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
  • Microgels / chemistry
  • Orthomyxoviridae / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Microgels