https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181105132907.htm

Now, Josh Hihath, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis, and colleagues at the University of Washington and TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Turkey have adapted a molecular electronic device called a single-molecule break junction to detect RNA from strains of E. coli known for causing illness. The findings were published online today (Nov. 5) in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

"The reliable, efficient and inexpensive detection and identification of specific strains of microorganisms such as E. coli is a grand challenge in biology and the health sciences," said Hihath. "Our technique could pave the way for rapid, straightforward detection of pathogens, antimicrobial resistant bacterial strains and biomarkers for cancer."