Multilaboratory validation of a luminex microbead-based suspension array for the identification of the 11 most clinically relevant Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O serogroups.

Rapid and high-throughput identification and serotyping of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O serogroups is important for detecting, investigating, and controlling STEC infection outbreaks and removing hazardous products from commerce. A Luminex microbead-based suspension array has been developed to identify the 11 most clinically relevant STEC serogroups: O26, O45, O91, O103, O104, O111, O113, O121, O128, O145, and O157. Here we present results of a blinded multilaboratory collaborative study involving 10 participants from nine laboratories using 55 unknown strains. From the total 495 analyses, two false-positive and three false-negative results were obtained, indicating the assay to be a rapid, high-throughput, and robust method for identifying clinically relevant STEC serogroups.

Rapid detection of Salmonella in foods using real-time PCR.

Conventional methods for detection of Salmonella serovars in foods are generally time-consuming and labor intensive. A real-time PCR method has been developed with custom designed primers and a TaqMan probe to detect the presence of a 262-bp fragment of the Salmonella-specific invA gene. The method has been tested with a total of 384 field-isolated Salmonella serovars and non-Salmonella stock strains, as well as 420 U.S. Food and Drug Administration food samples, comprising a variety of food matrices. The method was highly specific in detecting Salmonella in spiked chili powder and shrimp samples, with a sensitivity of 0.04 CFU/g. In addition, the method is faster, more accurate, and less costly than the traditional U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual cell-culturing and the AOAC International-approved VIDAS methods to detect Salmonella in foods.