Rapid Flow Cytometry Detection of a Single Viable O157:H7 Cell in Raw Spinach Using a Simplified Sample Preparation Technique.

Very low cell count detection of O157:H7 in foods is critical, since an infective dose for this pathogen may be only 10 cells, and fewer still for vulnerable populations. A flow cytometer is able to detect and count individual cells of a target bacterium, in this case O157:H7. The challenge is to find the single cell in a complex matrix like raw spinach.

Level 2 validation of a flow cytometric method for detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw spinach.

The Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) method currently used by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in spinach was systematically compared to a new flow cytometry based method. This Food and Drug Administration (FDA) level 2 external laboratory validation study was designed to determine the latter method's sensitivity and speed for analysis of this pathogen in raw spinach. Detection of target cell inoculations with a low cell count is critical, since enterohemorrhagic strains of E.

Vivione Bioscience RAPID-B(®) E. coli O157 test kit and non-O157 STEC test kit evaluation.

RAPID-B(®) is a high performance, integrated microbiology/infectious disease diagnostic system. The system uses hardware and software that are specifically designed for optimal detection using custom, immuno-based reagents designed to react to cell surface antigens of the target bacteria. The Vivione Bioscience RAPID-B Escherichia coli O157 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E.