Nanotechnology for Detection of Waterborne Pathogens

Nanotechnology is the characterization, fabrication and/or manipulation of structures, devices or materials between 1 and 100. nm. The properties observed in materials at this size range are different to those found in the bulk material, mainly due to a large surface-to-volume ratio. This results in enhanced surface reactivity, quantum confinement effects, enhanced electrical conductivity and enhanced magnetic properties, among others. For these reasons nanotechnology has recently been exploited in a wide range of different applications including biotechnology, drug delivery, and other biomedical applications, catalysis, electronics, food, cosmetics, and design of new fabrics and materials, e.g. construction or sports articles.In addition to these other applications, nanotechnology presents a great opportunity to develop fast, accurate, and cost-effective diagnostics for the detection of pathogenic infectious agents.This chapter aims to provide an introduction to nanotechnology for monitoring applications. Particular attention is devoted to examples concerning waterborne pathogens, given in each of the categories of waterborne pathogens. First, an overview of the types of nanomaterials, which have been employed in monitoring, is given. Second, this chapter will focus on the ways in which nanotechnology can enhance the sample processing and detection methods presented in earlier chapters.