Development and In-House Validation of a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in Meat.

Listeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes. The aims of this work were to develop and validate an in-house real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of L. monocytogenes, and to determine its prevalence in raw ground beef samples from 53 butcheries that also sell ready-to-eat foods. One set of primers and one hydrolysis probe were designed for hly gene detection and then challenged with pure strains. The detection was successful for all L. monocytogenes strains analyzed and negative for all non-L. monocytogenes strains (detection limit, 10 colony forming unit [CFU]/mL). Inclusivity, exclusivity, and analytical accuracy were 100%. L. monocytogenes was detected in 41.5% of raw ground beef samples from the 53 butcheries analyzed. This RT-PCR may be a valuable method for rapid detection of L. monocytogenes in meat.

Isolation of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli from Ground Beef Using Multiple Combinations of Enrichment Broths and Selective Agars.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens, and beef cattle are recognized as the principal reservoir. The aims of this study were (1) to identify the most sensitive combination of selective enrichment broths and agars for STEC isolation in artificially inoculated ground beef samples, and (2) to evaluate the most efficient combination(s) of methods for naturally contaminated ground beef samples. A total of 192 ground beef samples were artificially inoculated with STEC and non-stx bacterial strains. A combination of four enrichment broths and three agars were evaluated for sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for STEC isolation from experimentally inoculated samples. Enrichments with either modified tryptic soy broth (mTSB) containing 8 mg/L novobiocin (mTSB-8) or modified Escherichia coli (mEC) broth followed by isolation in MacConkey agar were the most sensitive combinations for STEC isolation of artificially inoculated samples. Independently, both enrichments media followed by isolation in MacConkey were used to evaluate ground beef samples from 43 retail stores, yielding 65.1% and 58.1% stx-positive samples by RT-PCR, respectively. No difference was observed in the isolate proportions between these two methods (8/25 [32%] and 8/28 [28.6%]). Identical serotypes and stx genotypes were observed in STEC strains isolated from the same samples by either method. In this study, no single enrichment protocol was sufficient to detect all STEC in artificially inoculated samples and had considerable variation in detection ability with naturally contaminated samples. Moreover, none of the single or combinations of multiple isolation agars used were capable of identifying all STEC serogroups in either artificially inoculated or naturally occurring STEC-contaminated ground beef. Therefore, it may be prudent to conclude that there is no single method or combination of isolation methods capable of identifying all STEC serogroups.

Development and validation of two SYBR green PCR assays and a multiplex real-time PCR for the detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in meat.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are recognized as food-borne pathogens. We developed and validated two SYBR green PCR (SYBR-PCR) and a real-time multiplex PCR (RT-PCR) to detect stx1 and stx2 genes in meat samples, and compared these techniques in ground beef samples from retail stores. One set of primers and one hydrolysis probe were designed for each stx gene. For RT-PCR, an internal amplification control (IAC) was used. All PCR intra-laboratory validations were performed using pure strains and artificially contaminated ground beef samples. A total of 50 STEC and 30 non-STEC strains were used. Naturally contaminated ground beef samples (n=103) were obtained from retail stores and screened with SYBR-PCR and RT-PCR, and stx-positive samples were processed for STEC isolation. In the intra-laboratory validation, each PCR obtained a 1×10(2) CFU mL(-1) limit of detection and 100% inclusivity and exclusivity. The same results were obtained when different laboratory analysts in alternate days performed the assay. The level of agreement obtained with SYBR-PCR and RT-PCR was kappa=0.758 and 0.801 (P<0.001) for stx1 and stx2 gene detection, respectively. Two PCR strategies were developed and validated, and excellent performance with artificially contaminated ground beef samples was obtained. However, the efforts made to isolate STEC from retail store samples were not enough. Only 11 STEC strains were isolated from 35 stx-positive ground beef samples identically detected by all PCRs. The combination of molecular approaches based on the identification of a virulence genotypic profile of STEC must be considered to improve isolation.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in beef retail markets from Argentina.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens that cause mild or serious diseases and can lead to people death. This study reports the prevalence and characteristics of STEC O157 and non-O157 in commercial ground beef and environmental samples, including meat table, knife, meat mincing machine, and manipulator hands (n = 450) obtained from 90 retail markets over a nine-month period. The STEC isolates were serotyped and virulence genes as stx (Shiga toxin), rfb(O157)] (O157 lipopolysaccharide), fliC(H7) (H7 flagellin), eae (intimin), ehxA (enterohemolysin) and saa (STEC autoagglutinating adhesin), were determined. STEC O157 were identified in 23 (25.5%) beef samples and 16 (4.4%) environmental samples, while STEC non-O157 were present in 47 (52.2%) and 182 (50.5%), respectively. Among 54 strains isolated, 17 were STEC O157:H7 and 37 were STEC non-O157. The prevalent genotype for O157 was stx(2)/eae/ehxA/fliC(H7) (83.4%), and for STEC non-O157 the most frequent ones were stx(1)/stx(2)/saa/ehxA (29.7%); stx(2) (29.7%); and stx(2)/saa/ehxA (27%). None of the STEC non-O157 strains were eae-positive. Besides O157:H7, other 20 different serotypes were identified, being O8:H19, O178:H19, and O174:H28 the prevalent. Strains belonging to the same serotype could be isolated from different sources of the same retail market. Also, the same serotype could be detected in different stores. In conclusion, screening techniques are increasingly sensitive, but the isolation of STEC non-O157 is still a challenge. Moreover, with the results obtained from the present work, although more studies are needed, cross-contamination between meat and the environment could be suspected.