PCR experion automated electrophoresis system to detect Listeria monocytogenes in foods.

Listeria monocytogenes is frequently found as a contaminant in raw and ready-to-eat foods. The ability of L. monocytogenes to multiply at refrigeration temperatures and to grow in a wide range of pH values is of particular concern for food safety.

Development and application of an electrochemical plate coupled with immunomagnetic beads (ELIME) array for Salmonella enterica detection in meat samples.

Salmonella is one of the main organisms causing outbreaks of foodborne illness, and meat is one of the major vehicles of salmonellosis throughout the world. A novel analytical immunosensor array, based on a 96-well electrochemical plate coupled with immunomagnetic beads (ELIME array), is proposed for the detection of Salmonella in meat samples. After an optimization study, using Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis as reference antigen, the ability of the method to interact with a large number of Salmonella serovars commonly present in food was evaluated.

Resistance of hepatitis A virus in mussels subjected to different domestic cookings.

Hepatitis A is a worldwide infectious disease. Shellfish consumption has always been one of the major risk factors for hepatitis A infection, especially when these products are eaten raw or slightly cooked. Moreover, the cooking does not always guarantee the harmlessness of shellfish.

Reverse transcription-booster PCR for detection of noroviruses in shellfish.

The methods commonly used for norovirus (NV) detection are based on reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) followed by confirmation of the amplified sequence. To increase sensitivity, an RT-booster PCR was developed. The proposed method showed an increase in sensitivity at least 2 log units for all the NV strains tested compared with the standard RT-PCR method.

Evaluation of DNA extraction methods for use in combination with SYBR green I real-time PCR to detect Salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis in poultry.

The objective of this study was to develop a rapid, reproducible, and robust method for detecting Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis in poultry samples. First, for the extraction and purification of DNA from the preenrichment culture, four methods (boiling, alkaline lysis, Nucleospin, and Dynabeads DNA Direct System I) were compared. The most effective method was then combined with a real-time PCR method based on the double-stranded DNA binding dye SYBR Green I used with the ABI Prism 7700 system.

The survival of hepatitis A virus in fresh produce.

Fresh produce has been repeatedly implicated as the source of human viral infections, including infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the HAV adsorption capacity of the surface of various fresh vegetables that are generally eaten raw and the persistence of the HAV. To this end, the authors experimentally contaminated samples of lettuce, fennel, and carrot by immersing them in sterile distilled water supplemented with an HAV suspension until reaching a concentration of 5 log tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50)/ml.