A prolong glow-type chemiluminescence platform for sensitive detection and photothermal inactivation of Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, especially in abdominal and urinary tract sites, posing serious risks for patients’ post-kidney transplantation. Rapid and precise detection of E. coli is critical to prevent complications such as bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and infectious shock. Here, we present a prolong glow-type chemiluminescence (CL)-based bacterial metabolism platform that achieves both sensitive detection and effective photothermal inactivation of E. coli based on multifunctional nanomaterials. This platform leverages the metabolic activity of E. coli to trigger a CL signal without the need for external excitation sources, facilitating low-cost and highly sensitive detection with a limit of detection as low as 1 CFU/mL. Fe₃O₄ NPs were functionalized with E. coil-specific antibodies, allowing for precise pathogen capture and magnetic separation, ensuring robust sample preparation. After detection, near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation enabled the Cu_2-XSeNPs to generate localized heat, effectively inactivating E. coli cells with an antibacterial efficiency of up to 99.18%. This multifunctional platform integrates rapid detection and sterilization, demonstrating significant potential for clinical applications in infection management, especially in post-transplant care.