Poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, PEDOT, films have been deposited on gold electrodes using polymerization from the vapor-phase in which the surface is first covered with a Fe (III) tosylate oxidant and then exposed to 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, EDOT, vapor. Gold nanoparticles were then electrodeposited to give a nanocomposite material, PEDOT-AuNP. Thiolated capture strand DNA, that is complementary to the sequence associated with the pathogen S. aureus that causes mammary gland inflammation, was then immobilized onto the gold nanoparticles and the underlying gold electrode. The target oligo was then hybridized to the capture strand DNA. A probe strand, labeled with horse radish peroxidase, was then hybridized to the target. The concentration of the target was determined by measuring the current required to reduce hydroquinone oxidized during the regeneration of the HRP label. Semi-log plots of the pathogen DNA concentration vs. faradaic current are linear from 150pM to 1μM and pM concentrations can be detected without the need for molecular, e.g., PCR or NASBA, amplification.