A real-time PCR assay for the specific identification of serotype O:9 of Yersinia enterocolitica.

ABSTRACT

A real-time PCR assay was developed based on a 181-bp fragment of the recently cloned per gene, including an internal amplification control (124 bp), for the detection of Yersinia enterocolitica O9 (Ye O9). The validation included 48 Ye O9, 33 Y. enterocolitica non-O9 and 35 other closely-related bacterial strains, containing per gene homologies. The assay was specific for the Ye O9 tested, the detection limit was 1-10 genome copies of purified DNA and amplification efficiency was between 90.5-103%, indicating a linear regression throughout the detection window.