Propidium Monoazide Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for Enumeration of Some Viable but Nonculturable Foodborne Bacteria in Meat and Meat Products.

Foodborne infections due to bacterial pathogens are increasing worldwide. Given the surreptitious nature of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) bacteria, they largely remain a threat to public health and food safety due to their non-detectability through conventional plate count techniques. Hence, species-specific quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (qPCR) alone and combined with the use of propidium monoazide (PMA) was used along with the plate count method to quantify VBNC Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Enterobacteriaceae in fresh and processed meat samples.