Rapid detection of Vibrio cholerae contamination of seafood by polymerase chain reaction.
The possibility of detecting Vibrio cholerae contamination of seafood using a technique based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was studied. Direct PCR on lysate prepared from fish homogenates containing 10(3) V. cholerae/ml gave a positive reaction. When combined with alkaline peptone water (APW) enrichment, homogenates containing 1.4 cells/ml gave amplification signal. The technique could also detect V. cholerae O139, the recent epidemic serotype in the Indian subcontinent. An environmental isolate of non-O1 V. cholerae that produced cholera toxin was also positive in this assay. The results suggest that PCR-based techniques have great potential in quick detection of toxigenic V. cholerae in seafoods.
Department of Fishery Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.
I
I
Karunasagar
G
G
Sugumar
I
I
Karunasagar
A
A
Reilley
D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000382:microbiology*; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000235:genetics; D005399:Fishes / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D017747:Seafood / Q000382:microbiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D002772:Cholera Toxin