Immobilization of Intact Phage and Phage-Derived Proteins for Detection and Biocontrol Purposes

The natural specificity of bacteriophages toward their hosts represents great potential for the development of platforms for the capture and detection of bacterial pathogens. Whole phage can carry reporter genes to alter the phenotype of the target pathogen. Phage can also act as staining agents or the progeny of the infection process can be detected. Alternatively, using phage components as probes offer advantages over whole phage particles, including smaller probe size and resilience to desiccation. Phage structures can be engineered for improved affinity, specificity, and binding properties. However, such concepts require the ability to anchor phage and phage-components onto mechanical supports such as beads or flat surfaces. The ability to orient the anchoring is desired in order to optimize binding efficiency. This chapter presents various methods that have been employed for the attachment of phage and phage components onto support structures such as beads, filters, and sensor surfaces.