Screening Bovine Carcass Sponge Samples for Escherichia coli O157 Using a Short Enrichment Coupled with Immunomagnetic Separation and a Polymerase Chain Reaction–Based (BAX) Detection Step†

2001 ◽  
Vol 64 (10) ◽  
pp. 1610-1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
DONG-HYUN KANG ◽  
GENEVIEVE A. BARKOCY-GALLAGHER ◽  
MOHAMMAD KOOHMARAIE ◽  
GREGORY R. SIRAGUSA

A bovine carcass sponge sample screening protocol for detecting Escherichia coli O157:H7 was composed of a short selective enrichment followed by an immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and target detection using the BAX E. coli O157 polymerase chain reaction assay. This screening protocol was compared to a culture-based method for detection of the organism in carcass sponge samples. Enriched samples were subjected to IMS; the bead suspension was divided and plated on selected media or stored at −20°C, then subjected to BAX analysis. The results showed a high degree of agreement between the plating method and the BAX system. Fifty-two of the 59 culture-positive samples were also positive using the BAX system (88.1% sensitivity). Of the 76 samples that appeared negative for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 by the culture method, 66 were determined as negative using the BAX system (86.8% specificity). Four of the 10 samples found negative by the initial culture method and positive by the BAX method were subsequently found to be culture positive upon reanalysis. Based on these data, the BAX system combined with a short, selective enrichment and IMS may be a rapid, reliable, and simple method to screen for E. coli O157:H7 in carcass sponge samples. Our data indicate that optimization and subsequent testing of this protocol for use as a carcass screening tool are warranted.

1995 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN D. WEAGANT ◽  
JAMES L. BRYANT ◽  
KAREN G. JINNEMAN

A newly revised enrichment and agar-plating system was tested for selectivity and sensitivity in recovery of unstressed and cold-stressed Escherichia coli O157:H7 from foods. Various foods inoculated with known levels of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 (EHEC) were tested by enrichment for 6 h at 37°C in modified tryptic soy broth (mTSB) base supplemented with vancomycin, cefsulodin and cefixime, referred to as EHEC enrichment broth (EEB). Subsequently, portions were spread-plated on sorbitol–MacConkey agar supplemented with tellurite and cefixime (TCSMAC). Further selective enrichment was also examined using immunomagnetic separation (IMS) from the EEB prior to spread-plating on TCSMAC agar. These methods were compared to a procedure of enrichment in mTSB (supplemented with novobiocin) at 37°C for 24 h followed by spread-plating of decimal dilutions on hemorrhagic colitis 4–methylumbelliferyl–B–D–glucuronide (HC–MUG) agar. The new enrichment isolation technique was found to be sensitive at a level of one EHEC organism per 10 g of food in four food types. This represents an approximate l00-fold to 1,000-fold enhancement in sensitivity over the comparative method for foods with high levels of competitive microflora. These enrichment-isolation protocols also were compared in analysis of naturally contaminated raw or undercooked ground beef samples implicated in foodborne illness. EEB-TCSMAC with and without IMS were combined with rapid biochemical tests, and with O157 latex agglutination and confirmation of toxin genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to provide a completed test within 30 h of initiating testing. The new system was successful in 15 of 17 samples, where only 6 of 17 were found positive by the comparative technique.


2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAKAHISA MIYAMOTO ◽  
NATSUKO ICHIOKA ◽  
CHIE SASAKI ◽  
HIROSHI KOBAYASHI ◽  
KEN-ICHI HONJOH ◽  
...  

The DNA band patterns generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the du2 primer and template DNAs from various strains of Escherichia coli and non–E. coli bacteria were compared. Among three to five prominent bands produced, the three bands at about 1.8, 2.7, and 5.0 kb were detected in all of the E. coli O157 strains tested. Some nonpathogenic E. coli and all pathogenic E. coli except E. coli O157 showed bands at 1.8 and 5.0 kb. It seems that the band at 2.7 kb is specific to E. coli O157. Sequence analysis of the 2.7-kb PCR product revealed the presence of a DNA sequence specific to E. coli O157:H− and E. coli O157:H7. Since the DNA sequence from base 15 to base 1008 of the PCR product seems to be specific to E. coli O157, a PCR assay was carried out with various bacterial genomic DNAs and O157-FHC1 and O157-FHC2 primers that amplified the region between base 23 and base 994 of the 2.7-kb PCR product. A single band at 970 bp was clearly detected in all of the strains of E. coli O157:H− and E. coli O157:H7 tested. However, no band was amplified from template DNAs from other bacteria, including both nonpathogenic and pathogenic E. coli except E. coli O157. All raw meats inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at 3 × 100 to 3.5 × 102 CFU/25 g were positive both for our PCR assay after cultivation in mEC-N broth at 42°C for 18 h and for the conventional cultural method.


2000 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1032-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
PINA M. FRATAMICO ◽  
LORI K. BAGI ◽  
TIZIANA PEPE

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to simplify detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and to identify the H serogroup and the type of Shiga toxin produced by this bacterium. Primers for a plasmid-encoded hemolysin gene (hly933), and chromosomal flagella (fliCh7; flagellar structural gene of H7 serogroup), Shiga toxins (stx1, stx2), and attaching and effacing (eaeA) genes were used in a multiplex PCR for coamplification of the corresponding DNA sequences from enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7. Enrichment cultures of ground beef, blue cheese, mussels, alfalfa sprouts, and bovine feces, artificially inoculated with various levels of E. coli O157:H7 strain 933, were subjected to a simple DNA extraction step prior to the PCR, and the resulting amplification products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Sensitivity of the assay was ≤1 CFU/g of food or bovine feces (initial inoculum level), and results could be obtained within 24 h. Similar detection levels were obtained with ground beef samples that underwent enrichment culturing immediately after inoculation and samples that were frozen or refrigerated prior to enrichment. The multiplex PCR facilitates detection of E. coli O157:H7 and can reduce the time required for confirmation of isolates by up to 3 to 4 days.


1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 934-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
PINA M. FRATAMICO ◽  
TERENCE P. STROBAUGH

In commercial beef processing, carcasses are customarily washed with water to remove physical and microbial contamination. Assaying the water that is shed from the carcasses after washing is a convenient method to determine whether the carcass is contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 or other bacterial pathogens. E. coli O157:H7 was inoculated into carcass wash water at various levels and the bacteria were then concentrated by filtration. After collection of bacteria in the filter units, the nylon membranes were cut out and placed in tubes containing growth medium, and the tubes were mixed vigorously to dislodge the bacteria from the membranes. Prior to enrichment, samples were removed for testing by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a direct immunofluorescent filter technique (DIFT). The remaining samples were subjected to 4-h enrichment culturing at 37°C, after which aliquots were removed for testing by multiplex PCR, DIFT, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Following 4-h enrichment culturing, E. coli O157:H7 was detected in wash water samples initially inoculated with ca. 100, 0.1, and 1 CFU/ml by ELISA, DIFT, and multiplex PCR, respectively. Testing of the wash water using the ELISA and the DIFT can be accomplished in less than 8 h. On the basis of these results, assaying carcass wash water by ELISA, DIFT, or multiplex PCR can be useful for detection of E. coli O157:H7 beef carcass contamination and can potentially be employed to identify carcasses for further processing to inactivate the organism.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Tszhin Lam ◽  
Edwin Lui ◽  
Simon Chau ◽  
Cathie Show Wu Kueh ◽  
Ying-kit Yung ◽  
...  

The current investigation evaluated the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for quantitative detection of Escherichia coli in marine beach water. Densities of E. coli in 263 beach water samples collected from 13 bathing beaches in Hong Kong between November 2008 and December 2009 were determined using both real-time PCR and culture-based methods. Regression analysis showed that these two methods had a significant positive linear relationship with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.64. Serial dilution of spiked samples indicated that the real-time PCR had a limit of quantification of 25 E. coli colonies in 100 mL water sample. This study showed that the rapid real-time PCR has potential to complement the traditional culture method of assessing fecal pollution in marine beach water.


2004 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 856-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Abdulmawjood ◽  
Michael Bülte ◽  
Stefanie Roth ◽  
Hahn Schönenbrücher ◽  
Nigel Cook ◽  
...  

Abstract The performance of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detection of Escherichia coli O157, previously validated on DNA extracted from pure cultures, was evaluated on spiked cattle swabs through an interlaboratory trial, including 12 participating laboratories from 11 European countries. Twelve cattle swab samples, spiked at 4 levels (0, 1–10, 10–100, and 100–1000 colony-forming units, in triplicate) with E. coli O157 were prepared centrally in the originating laboratory; the receiving laboratories performed pre-PCR treatment followed by PCR. The results were reported as positive when the correct amplicons were present after gel electrophoresis. The statistical analysis, performed on 10 sets of reported results, determined the diagnostic sensitivity to be 92.2%. The diagnostic specificity was 100%. The accordance (repeatability) was 90.0%, calculated from all positive inoculation levels. The concordance (reproducibility) was 85.0%, calculated from all positive inoculation levels. The concordance odds ratio (degree of interlaboratory variation calculated from all positive inoculation levels) was 1.58, indicating the robustness of the PCR method. Thus, the interlaboratory variation due to personnel, reagents, minor temperature or pH fluctuations and, not least, thermal cyclers, did not affect the performance of the method, which is currently being considered as part of an international PCR standard.


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