Microfluidic Capture-Enrichment of individualized microbes from urban wastewater reveals a hidden reservoir of potential pre-emergent pathogens
Current environmental biosurveillance infrastructure excels at tracking known biological threats but is limited in its ability to proactively identify potential pre-emergent pathogens (PEPs). To address this gap, we developed a microfluidics-based Capture-Enrichment pipeline that isolates individual environmental cells via microdroplet encapsulation, preserving community biodiversity while…
Environmental biosurveillance systems excel at detecting known biological threats but struggle to proactively identify potential pre-emergent pathogens (PEPs). To tackle this limitation, researchers devised a microfluidics-based Capture-Enrichment pipeline. This system isolates individual environmental cells using microdroplets, preserving biodiversity while allowing for iterative selection against human sera.
When applied to urban wastewater, the technique successfully captured pathogens, commensals, and PEPs that conventional amplicon sequencing missed due to low detection limits. Genomic analysis showed that wastewater-derived ESKAPE pathogens closely resemble clinical isolates, confirming the pipeline's ability to capture clinically relevant threats.
Additionally, isolated PEPs exhibited phenotypes linked to early-stage pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance. These results demonstrate that focusing on PEPs can significantly broaden the scope and accuracy of biosurveillance. By employing a scalable strategy, this approach can identify, characterize, and address critical gaps in our understanding of emerging microbial pathogens.
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