Consequences

The E. colocator Gloves will be of great service to humanity. The E. coli detecting device will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of illnesses worldwide by preventing the consumption of contaminated meat through near instantaneous detection.

The E. colocator Gloves would be sold in packages at a reasonable cost. This would allow for national distribution at almost every restaurant and slaughterhouse. Through utilization of the E. colocator Glove, the beef industry will save many lives and prevent suffering.

While having the potential to save lives, the gloves might also cause problems in the slaughterhouse or restaurant. One such problem could be false positive test results. If an entire side of beef incorrectly tests positive for E. coli, then the meat would be disposed of. If this were to happen often, slaughterhouses and restaurants could lose a large amount of money to wasted meat.

Improper usage could also create problems. If E. coli is detected, the glove would need to be disposed of properly. The contaminated glove could transfer E. coli to the user, or even to surfaces within the building. Proper disposal of the glove and the meat will be the primary concerns if E. coli is detected.

Despite several potential drawbacks to the E. colocator, these gloves are an effective tool for the detection of E. coli 0157:H7 from which the world will greatly benefit.

Breakthroughs

In order for the E. colocator Glove to be cost-effective and scientifically sound, several breakthroughs are needed. First, nanoclays are currently far too expensive and too early in development to be put into a disposable glove. Nanoclays need to become more cost-effective in order to mass produce the glove.

A second breakthrough would be needed to make the E. colocator Glove a reality. The outer layer, styrene-divinylbenzene, cannot yet be engineered to have such miniscule pores as the E. colocator design allows.

The antibodies used in our detection layer are a third breakthrough, because they must be manufactured to detect even a single bacterium, and in doing so cause a color change in the PDA film below.

The fourth breakthrough deals with the glove changing from blue to white. This color layer is made of polydiacetylene film (PDA), a polymer that reorganizes to change color. The technology is currently too unstable to allow a large portion of the glove to change color after detection.   Also no method is yet available to determine what color the PDA will change to once it has reorganized. In order for the E. colocator Gloves to funtion, we would need a way of controlling the color change (in this case, blue to white). Around twenty years from the present day, E. colocator Gloves could be found in slaughterhouses, restaurants and even private homes.

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