Evaluation of a Multiplex PCR for Detection of the Top Seven Shiga Toxin-Producing Serogroups in Ready-to-Eat Meats, Fruits, and Vegetables.

: Ready-to-eat (RTE) meats, fruits, and vegetables contaminated by Shiga toxin producing (STEC) raise serious concerns because they are often consumed directly without further processing. To evaluate a multiplex PCR for the detection of STEC across food categories. Samples (25 g) from seven RTE meat and nine fruit and vegetable matrices were inoculated with each of seven STEC (O157:H7, O26, O121, O145, O45, O103, O111) strains targeting 10 CFU/25 g, enriched in 225 mL of modified tryptone soya broth (mTSB), and tested by a multiplex real-time PCR for and genes, following U.