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Indian American develops sensor to detect E. coli

Houston: An Indian American scientist has developed a sensor that can detect E. coli, a bacteria, whose recent outbreak in the United States killed a woman and resulted in the hospitalisation of over 90 people. The outbreak of E. coli cases, traced to bagged spinach, shows that there is a need for better detection in food processing.

Dr. Raj Mutharasan, a professor of chemical engineering at Drexel University, has developed a sensor technology that would meet this need. The sensor can enable people to track the source of pathogens or bacteria in minutes rather than hours. Said to be precise, accurate and cheap, the "intelligent" technology can provide a result in 10 minutes and can detect anomalies such as E. coli, with a sensitivity of four cells per millilitre. Dr. Mutharasan's sensor can be placed into a palm-sized device. — PTI

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