QIAGEN mericon Escherichia coli O157 Screen Plus and mericon E. coli Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O-Type Pathogen Detection Assays use Real-Time PCR technology for the rapid, accurate detection of E. coli O157 and the “big six”... more
QIAGEN mericon Escherichia coli O157 Screen Plus and mericon E. coli Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O-Type Pathogen Detection Assays use Real-Time PCR technology for the rapid, accurate detection of E. coli O157 and the “big six” (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145) (non-O157 STEC) in select food types. Using a paired study design, the assays were compared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook Chapter 5.09 reference method for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef. Both mericon assays were evaluated using the manual and an automated DNA extraction method. Thirteen technicians from five laboratories located within the continental United States participated in the collaborative study. Three levels of contamination were evaluated. Statistical analysis was conducted according to the probability of detection (POD) statistical model. Results obtained for the low-inoculum level test portions produced a di...
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Recent incidents of foodborne illness associated with spices as the vehicle of transmission prompted this examination of U.S. retail spices with regard to Bacillus cereus. This study focused on the levels of aerobic-mesophilic... more
Recent incidents of foodborne illness associated with spices as the vehicle of transmission prompted this examination of U.S. retail spices with regard to Bacillus cereus. This study focused on the levels of aerobic-mesophilic spore-forming bacteria and B cereus spores associated with 247 retail spices purchased from five states in the United States. Samples contained a wide range of aerobic-mesophilic bacterial spore counts (< 200 to 8.3 × 10(7) CFU/g), with 19.1% of samples at levels above 10(5) CFU/g. For examples, paprika, allspice, peppercorns, and mixed spices had high levels of aerobic spores (> 10(7) CFU/g). Using a novel chromogenic agar, B. cereus and B. thuringiensis spores were isolated from 77 (31%) and 11 (4%) samples, respectively. Levels of B. cereus were <3 to 1,600 MPN/g. Eighty-eight percent of B. cereus isolates and 91% of B. thuringiensis isolates possessed at least one type of enterotoxin gene: HBL (hemolysin BL) or nonhemolytic enterotoxin (NHE). None...
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Two candidate method modifications for the Atlas Listeria Environmental LE Detection Assay were compared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook 8.09 (MLG 8.09)... more
Two candidate method modifications for the Atlas Listeria Environmental LE Detection Assay were compared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook 8.09 (MLG 8.09) method for detection of Listeria spp. on stainless steel, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and sealed concrete surfaces. For LE candidate method 1, samples were enriched in FoodChek Actero Listeria Enrichment Media [ALEM; Performance Tested MethodSM (PTM) 111201] at 35 ± 2°C for 18 to 24 h and evaluated for a range of analytical sample volumes. For LE candidate method 2, the current Roka PTM using 90 mL of Half-Fraser broth for enrichment at 35 ± 2°C was evaluated at 24 h with a reduced sample volume. These comparisons were made in multiple studies across the three environmental surfaces. Within each method and study, a total of 5 samples were uninoculated, 20 samples were inoculated with Listeria spp. at a low level to target fractional positivity, and 5 s...