Identification of bacteria by conjugated oligoelectrolyte/single-stranded DNA electrostatic complexes.

Electrostatic complexes containing a cationic conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COE) and fluorescein (FAM)-labeled single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) serve as the basis for identifying various bacteria. The approach involves the preparation of five COE/ssDNA(x)-FAM electrostatic complexes, which differ in the ssDNA composition and which provide different photoluminescence (PL) spectra as a result of different degrees of energy transfer efficiency from the COE to FAM. Changes in the PL spectra upon addition of the bacteria can be quantified, and the differential response from the five ssDNAs gives rise to a multicomponent array response that allows identification of the microorganism under investigation.