Analysis of Quorum Sensing by Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectroscopy

Quorum sensing can have a significant impact on microbial virulence and on the outcome of microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions. Therefore, a considerable interest exists in the application of alternativemethods to investigate this chemical communication process in a non-invasive manner and with spatio-temporal resolution. Over the past decade, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has emerged as powerful analytical tool for profiling the chemistry of cells. Herein we provide an overview of recent applications of SERS for the detection of quorum sensing-regulated phenotypes, and we briefly discuss the opportunities for its integration in microfabricated hybrid platforms as new enabling analytical tools for investigating the social behavior of microbes at the microscale.