Estimation of viable Salmonella cell numbers in meat and meat product using real-time PCR

Recently we developed a novel method for estimating viable Salmonella cell numbers by means of a 5'-nuclease real-time PCR [Fujikawa et al., J. Food Hyg. Japan, 47, 151-156 (2006)]. The method was based on the increase kinetics of the target DNA region (inv A) of the microorganism growing in a culture medium during incubation. The index for the PCR was the threshold cycle. In this study, we validated the method for application in food. Namely, Salmonella cells spiked into ground chicken, pork, and beef and raw hamburger patty at various cell concentrations were cleaned up using buoyant density centrifugation and the Salmonella cell numbers were estimated with our method. Linear decreases in the threshold cycle value were observed during incubation of the samples. The standard curves for the cell number in all food samples were almost identical. With a standard curve using the mean parameter values, we successfully estimated viable Salmonella cell concentrations of the foods. The results indicate that our method is applicable for viable cell number estimation of the target microorganism in foods. Further, we used this method to study Salmonella growth in ground chicken stored at a constant temperature.     

Detection of viable Salmonella in lettuce by propidium monoazide real-time PCR

Contamination of lettuce by Salmonella has caused serious public health problems. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allows rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria in food, but it is inaccurate as it might amplify DNA from dead target cells as well. This study aimed to investigate the stability of DNA of dead Salmonella cells in lettuce and to develop an approach to detecting viable Salmonella in lettuce. Salmonella-free lettuce was inoculated with heat-killed Salmonella Typhimurium cells and stored at 4 °C. Bacterial DNA extracted from the sample was amplified by real-time PCR targeting the invA gene. Our results indicate that DNA from the dead cells remained stable in lettuce for at least 8 d. To overcome this limitation, propidium monoazide (PMA), a dye that can selectively penetrate dead bacterial cells and cross-link their DNA upon light exposure, was combined with real-time PCR. Lettuce samples inoculated with different levels of dead or viable S. Typhimurium cells were treated or untreated with PMA before DNA extraction. Real-time PCR suggests that PMA treatment effectively prevented PCR amplification from as high as 10(8) CFU/g dead S. Typhimurium cells in lettuce. The PMA real-time PCR assay could detect viable Salmonella at as low as 10(2) CFU/mL in pure culture and 10(3) CFU/g in lettuce. With 12-h enrichment, S. Typhimurium of 10(1) CFU/g in lettuce was detectable. In conclusion, the PMA real-time PCR assay provides an alternative to real-time PCR assay for accurate detection of Salmonella in food.     

Rapid detection of Salmonella from vegetable rinse-water using real-time PCR

A PCR-based method for the detection of Salmonella spp. from fresh vegetable rinse-water was developed. The method is a modification of an existing Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC)-approved protocol and is compatible for high throughput analysis. The protocol is sensitive enough to detect contamination in mixed-salad (made up of approximately 80% leaf lettuce, 10% red cabbage and 10% carrots by weight) that was washed with water, which was artificially contaminated with Salmonella spp. at the estimated level of 1–10 cells ml⁻¹. The modified protocol, which includes a confirmatory melt–curve analysis of PCR products, requires 8–10 h. The method should help implementation of the HACCAP program for fresh produce.     

Modified Microtiter count method for viable cell counts from pure cultures and food model samples

A modified Microtiter count method was designed to assess viable cell counts in a rapid, easy, and accurate way. A Spiral plate method was used for comparison with the modified Microtiter count method. There was a strong correlation between the two methods in microbial counts from pure cultures (Escherichia coli O157:H7, R²=0.984; Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, R²=0.995; and Listeria monocytogenes, R²=0.994) and food samples (R²=0.897). This study suggests that a modified Microtiter count method can be used to determine viable bacterial cell counts.     

双重荧光定量PCR检测沙门菌和单核细胞增生李斯特菌方法的建立

目的建立双重荧光定量PCR方法,快速检测沙门菌和单核细胞增生李斯特菌。方法通过设计特异性引物和探针,扩增沙门菌的fimY基因和单核细胞增生李斯特菌的hly基因,采用倍比梯度稀释法检测该体系的灵敏度,以另外7株肠道致病菌评价检测体系的特异性;建立了沙门菌和单核细胞增生李斯特菌感染小鼠的检测模型以验证方法的适用性。结果建立了同时检测沙门菌和单核细胞增生李斯特菌的双重荧光定量PCR方法,从DNA提取到检测完毕仅需2.5 h。检测两种病原菌的灵敏度分别为11和12.8 copies/μl,特异性为100%,符合率为93.3%。结论该法缩短了检测时间,并有良好的灵敏性和特异性,在疾病防控及食品卫生行业中很有应用前景。     

TaqMan探针双重荧光PCR技术检测食源性沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌

目的 建立TaqMan探针双重荧光聚合酶链式反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)技术检测食源性沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌的方法。方法 通过比对沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌的基因组序列,选择同源性高、保守性好的区域设计特异性引物和探针,经过引探筛选、浓度调试等一系列优化,建立了食源性沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌双重荧光PCR核酸检测方法,并对其特异性、质粒最低检出限、菌液敏感性、重复性、稳定性以及实际样品进行了验证。结果 该方法与大部分食源性致病菌无交叉反应,特异性强;沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌质粒的最低检出限可达5 copies/μL,沙门氏菌菌液敏感性为1.0×102 cfu/mL,志贺氏菌菌液敏感性10 cfu/mL;质粒和菌液核酸梯度的批内和批间变异系数均在0.177%~1.958%之间,小于5.0%,具有较强的稳定性;标准曲线相关系数(R2)均大于0.999。结论 本研究成功建立了一种TaqMan探针双重荧光PCR技术同时检测食源性沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌的方法,该方法扩增时间短,只需要30min即可,而且特异性强、稳定性好,可用于疑似沙门氏菌和志贺氏菌污染样品的检测,为食品安全的快速检测提供技术支撑。     

实时荧光PCR法检测鼠伤寒沙门氏菌

目的 建立实时荧光PCR法检测鼠伤寒沙门氏菌的方法。方法 基于鼠伤寒沙门氏菌II型限制酶基因, 设计引物及Taqman探针, 利用实时荧光PCR进行特异性、灵敏性及模拟样品的检测实验。结果 特异性探针可从25种血清型沙门氏菌(共49株)及11株阴性对照菌株中检测出全部的11株鼠伤寒沙门氏菌。以鼠伤寒沙门氏菌梯度稀释菌液DNA为模板进行实时荧光PCR实验, 菌株模板浓度与Ct值呈良好线性关系, 线性系数(R2)为0.998, 扩增效率90%, 最低检测浓度300 cfu/mL。对已接种鼠伤寒沙门氏菌的4种模拟样品同时进行实时荧光PCR检测和传统方法鉴定, 两者结果一致。结论 此方法特异、灵敏、准确, 适于食品中鼠伤寒沙门氏菌的检测。     

Rapid detection of Salmonella from hydrodynamic pressure-treated poultry using molecular beacon real-time PCR

A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was evaluated to detect Salmonella in hydrodynamic pressure (HDP)-treated chicken using molecular beacon probes available as a commercial kit (iQ-Check, Bio-Rad Laboratories). The sensitivity and accuracy of the assay were compared with the conventional USDA microbiological procedure using artificially contaminated minced chicken. Chicken fillets were irradiated at 10 kGy to completely destroy any naturally occurring Salmonella. These fillets were minced and inoculated with as low as 2+/-1 cfu of S. typhimurium per 25 g chicken. The minced chicken samples were vacuum packed in multi-layer barrier bags, heat shrunk, and treated with HDP. Results showed that all inoculated samples (n=36) were detected by the PCR assay and conventional USDA procedure. Similarly, all uninoculated controls (n=11) were negative by both PCR assay and USDA procedure. As few as 2+/-1 cfu could be detected from 25 g HDP-treated chicken following 16-18 h enrichment in buffered peptone water. Real-time PCR proved to be an effective method for Salmonella detection in HDP-treated chicken with high sensitivity and more importantly, a rapid and high-throughput detection in 18 h, compared to 3-8 days for the conventional microbiological methods. HDP treatment, which has been reported to reduce spoilage bacteria in various meats, was unable to kill pathogenic Salmonella in minced chicken.     

Detection of olive oil using the Evagreen real-time PCR method

A sensitive real-time PCR method using the novel fluorescence stain Evagreen was established for detection of olive oil. First, a comparative study was made of two different methods for the recovery of high quality DNA from oil samples. Thereby, the Promega wizard DPSF kit proved to be the most suitable for recovery of DNA from oil samples. Second, an olive-specific pair of primers was designed based on the sequence of an olive plasma intrinsic protein cDNA sequence. Experiments with 13 samples including olive, soybean, sesame, sunflower seed, pumpkinseed, walnut, rapeseed, rice, peanut, maize, pig, chicken and fish confirmed that this pair of primers is highly specific for olive. Additional experiments indicated that the absolute detection limit of our test is 0.07 ng olive DNA and that 0.5% olive DNA can be detected against background of 2 ng/μl sesame DNA.     

实时荧光PCR法检测食品中亚利桑那沙门氏菌

沙门氏菌（Salmonella）是食品检测过程中最常见的致病菌之一,亚利桑那沙门氏菌（Salmonella arizonae）又是沙门氏菌中比 较难鉴定的亚种。该实验通过实时荧光聚合酶链式反应（PCR）方法快速准确的检测亚利桑那沙门氏菌和其他沙门氏菌。根据GenBank 公布的亚利桑那沙门氏菌和其他沙门氏菌gud D基因序列, 分别设计引物和Taqman探针。 使用10株不同血清型的沙门氏菌标准菌 株、88株沙门氏菌分离株和29株食品中常见食源性致病菌进行实时荧光PCR特异性实验。结果显示,该实验所设计的引物探针特异 性非常好。 实时荧光PCR灵敏性试验结果表明,检测灵敏度可达到1～10 CFU/mL的添加浓度。 经模拟污染样品验证,所建立的实时 荧光PCR方法与传统方法的检测结果相一致,具有检测周期短、操作简便的优势。     

Development of a quantitative real-time PCR method to enumerate total bacterial counts in ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables

A newly developed real-time PCR assay rapidly quantifies the total bacterial numbers in contaminated ready-to-eat vegetables and fruits compared with the standard plate count method. Primers targeting the rpoB gene, which encodes for the beta subunit of the bacterial RNA polymerase and which is common to most bacterial species, was used instead of the 16S rRNA gene, which has multiple copies and varies among bacterial species. A primer pair specific for rpoB was confirmed to amplify rpoB in a wide range of bacterial species after we assessed 49 strains isolated from five kinds of fruits and vegetables. We purchased fruits and vegetables from retail shops and enumerated the bacteria associated with them by use of real-time PCR and compared this to the number found by the culture method. We found a high correlation between the threshold PCR cycle number when compared with the plate count culture number. The real-time PCR assay developed in this study can enumerate the dominant bacterial species in ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables.     

食源性沙门氏菌实时定量PCR检测研究

根据GenBank数据库鼠伤寒沙门氏菌的invA基因序列(AE008832)设计引物,建立沙门氏菌实时荧光定量PCR检测方法。标准曲线的相关系数为0.999,检出底限约8个细菌/反应。对40份牛奶和40份生肉进行检测,阳性率分别为2.5%和5%,与传统细菌分离检测结果完全相符。因此,实时定量PCR检测沙门氏菌具有快速、灵敏的优点,适宜于食品中沙门氏菌污染的调查及监测。     

Simultaneous quantitative detection of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. using sodium deoxycholate-propidium monoazide with multiplex real-time PCR

Escherichia coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. are common food-borne pathogens in milk that may cause serious diseases. In the present study, we established a simple, rapid, and specific method to simultaneously detect viable E. coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. in milk. Three specific genes, fliC from E. coli O157:H7, cgcA from Cronobacter spp., and invA from Salmonella spp., were selected and used to design primers and probes. False-positive results were eliminated with the use of a combined sodium deoxycholate (SD) and propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. Using the optimized parameters, this SD-PMA treatment combined with multiplex real-time PCR (SD-PMA-mRT-PCR) detected E. coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. respectively, at 10² cfu/mL in pure culture or artificially spiked skim milk samples. A reasonable recovery rate (from 100 to 107%) for detection of viable bacteria using the SD-PMA-mRT-PCR assay was obtained in the presence of dead bacteria at 10⁷ cfu/mL. The SD-PMA-mRT-PCR method developed in this study can accurately detect and monitor combined contamination with E. coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. in milk and milk products.     

多重荧光定量PCR法检测海产品中副溶血性弧菌、沙门菌和单增李斯特菌

目的建立检测海产品中副溶血性弧菌、沙门菌和单增李斯特菌的多重荧光定量PCR体系。方法针对副溶血性弧菌tlh基因,沙门菌Ompc基因和单增李斯特菌hly基因设计引物和Taq Man探针,建立多重荧光定量PCR体系,进行特异性与敏感性研究;利用该体系检测海产品中的副溶血性弧菌、沙门菌和单增李斯特菌。结果副溶血性弧菌、沙门菌和单增李斯特菌可得到特异性扩增,而共存于海产品中的其他细菌均未见扩增曲线。敏感性试验显示,该体系对副溶血性弧菌、沙门菌和单增李斯特菌的最低检测限分别为72、40、80 cfu/ml。对舟山采集的150份样品进行检测,检出32份副溶血性弧菌、11份沙门菌、5份单增李斯特菌,与国标法检测结果一致。结论本研究建立的基于Taq Man探针的多重荧光定量PCR检测方法可以特异、灵敏、简单快速地实现对海产品中副溶血性弧菌、沙门菌和单增李斯特菌的检测。     

Quantification of viable Brochothrix thermosphacta in cooked shrimp and salmon by real-time PCR

Brochothrix thermosphacta, a Gram-positive bacterium, is considered as the predominant spoilage microbiota of modified atmosphere packing (MAP) shrimp and fish. Traditional methods currently used to detect B. thermosphacta in foods are time-consuming and labour-intensive. The aim of this study was to develop a real-time PCR quantification method combined with a propidium monoazide (PMA) sample treatment step to monitor the population of B. thermosphacta in cooked shrimp and salmon. The specificity of the two primers MO405 and MO404 used to amplify a 70 bp fragment of the 16S rRNA gene was demonstrated by using purified DNA from 30 strains, among 21 bacterial species including 22 reference strains. Using these primers for real-time PCR and in pure culture, a good correlation was obtained between real-time PCR and the conventional plating method. Quantification was linear over 7-log units using artificially inoculated samples. The method performed successfully when tested on naturally contaminated cooked shrimp and fresh salmon, with a minimum threshold of 1.9×102 CFU/g for accurate quantification of B. thermosphacta. The correlation between the B. thermosphacta counts obtained by real-time PCR and plate counts on naturally contaminated shrimp and salmon was high (R2=0.895). Thus, this study presents a rapid tool for producing reliable quantitative data on B. thermosphacta in cooked shrimp and fresh salmon.     

Rapid and simultaneous quantification of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in milk through multiplex real-time PCR

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in milk are 2 common pathogens that cause foodborne diseases. An accurate, rapid, specific method has been developed for the simultaneous detection of viable E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in milk. Two specific genes, namely, fliC from E. coli O157:H7 and invA from Salmonella spp., were selected to design primers and probes. A combined treatment containing sodium deoxycholate (SDO) and propidium monoazide (PMA) was applied to detect viable E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. only. Traditional culture methods and SDO-PMA-multiplex real-time (mRT) PCR assay were applied to determine the number of viable E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in cell suspensions with different proportions of dead cells. These methods revealed consistent findings regarding the detected viable cells. The detection limit of the SDO-PMA-mRT-PCR assay reached 10² cfu/mL for Salmonella spp. and 10² cfu/mL for E. coli O157:H7 in milk. The detection limit of SDO-PMA-mRT-PCR for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in milk was significantly similar even in the presence of 10⁶ cfu/mL of 2 nontarget bacteria. The proposed SDO-PMA-mRT-PCR assay is a potential approach for the accurate and sensitive detection of viable E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in milk.     

叠氮溴化丙锭结合实时荧光定量PCR技术检测发酵乳中植物乳杆菌P-8活菌数

采用叠氮溴化丙锭(propidium monoazide,PMA)结合实时荧光定量PCR对乳制品中活菌DNA进行定量分析,建立一种快速而准确检测发酵乳品中植物乳杆菌P-8(Lactobacillus plantarum P-8)活菌数的新方法。通过对影响PMA作用的浓度、暗孵育和曝光时间等因素进行试验,确定最佳PMA处理方案。结果表明:L. plantarum P-8经80℃处理60 s,即为膜损伤菌;当PMA质量浓度为40μg/m L,暗孵育时间10 min,曝光时间为20 min时,PMA既不影响活菌DNA的PCR扩增,又能渗透进入细胞膜受损的死菌并抑制其PCR扩增;通过制备L.plantarum P-8质粒标准品并建立标准曲线,其表现出良好的线性关系,相关系数(R2)为0. 992 9,最低检测限为103CFU/m L,特异性良好。该方法为完善发酵乳产品益生菌活菌数的检测奠定了基础。     

A filtration-based real-time PCR method for the quantitative detection of viable Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in food samples

We developed a novel filtration-based method that can eliminate dead or severally damaged Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in food samples. This new method can recover all viable bacteria in less than 30 min, and can be coupled with a subsequent bacterial DNA extraction and real-time PCR. No statically significant differences (p < 0.01) were found between real-time PCR results obtained separately from S. enterica and L. monocytogenes when different ratios of living and dead cells were used. The analytical sensitivity in both cases was 1 genome equivalent (GE), and the quantification was linear (R² > 0.9969) over a 5-log dynamic range with PCR efficiencies >0.9754. When compared with the standard microbiological methods for the detection of these foodborne pathogens, the relative accuracy was excellent ranging from 95.72% to 104.48%. Finally, we applied the pre-treatment method to the direct detection of viable forms of these foodborne pathogens in food samples using yogurt as a model, the results being similar to those obtained using pure cultures.