Hairpin-Structured Magnetic SERS Sensor for Tetracycline Resistance Gene tetA Detection

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become emerging environmental contaminants, and the effective on-site detection of ARGs is urgently needed. Herein, we constructed a hairpin-structured magnetic sensor for the analysis of a widespread ARG, tetA, using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS sensor was assembled by immobilizing core-satellite structured Fe3O4@SiO2-Au with single-stranded DNA in a folded hairpin structure. The SERS sensor exhibited good sensitivity and specificity for the detection of laboratory-synthesized tetA ssDNA fragments. In addition, this SERS strategy is the first of its kind to be employed for monitoring environmental samples in the field, with a limit of detection reaching as low as 25 copies μL–1. Univariate and multivariate linear regression equations verify the practicability of the SERS sensor for quantitative tetA determination, showing the prospect for an amplification-free alternative platform for sensitive and reliable on-site detection of ARGs in the environment.