Multimode immunochromatographic detection technology based on multifunctional MoS2@Au nanosheets for highly sensitive monkeypox virus detection

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Fast and highly sensitive identification of viral antigens is essential for prompt diagnosis and efficient outbreak management. However, traditional gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assays (ICAs) face limitations due to low detection sensitivity. In this study, a multifunctional molybdenum disulfide-gold nanosheet (MoS 2 @Au NSs) was designed as a nanoprobe and used as a signal tag for immunochromatographic test strips. This platform combines surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection, photothermal properties, and visual colorimetric readout. The MoS 2 @Au NSs exhibits a remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency of 48.3%. Based on these properties, we developed a multimodal ICA (M-ICA) platform for monkeypox virus (MPXV) detection, offering a three-cooperative signal readout methods. The visual limit of detection (LOD) of the M-ICA platform for the MPXV antigen (A29L) was 0.5 ng/mL, while the SERS and photothermal modes achieved LODs of 4.2 pg/mL and 3.0 pg/mL, respectively—representing 238-fold and 333-fold improvement over conventional Au-based ICA. Furthermore, the practical utility of the platform was evaluated using inactivated MPXV. The SERS and photothermal LODs for inactivated MPXV were 10 2 copies/mL. The platform also showed high specificity against other prevalent respiratory viruses and maintained xcellent inter-batch reproducibility across all detection modalities. These results indicat that the MoS 2 @Au-based M-ICA platform is a highly sensitive and accurate diagnostic tool for MPXV detection, offering a promising approach for immunodiagnosis in diverse application scenarios.