Development of a quantitative competitive PCR assay for detection and quantification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells.
A quantitative competitive PCR (QC-PCR) assay was developed to detect and quantify Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells. From 10(3) to 10(8) CFU of E. coli O157:H7 cells/ml was quantified in broth or skim milk, and cell densities predicted by QC-PCR were highly related to viable cell counts (r(2) = 0.99 and 0.93, respectively). QC-PCR has potential for quantitative detection of pathogenic bacteria in foods.
Li
W
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Department of Food Science and Technology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762-9805, USA.
Drake
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media; D017931:DNA Primers; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D003470:Culture Media; D017931:DNA Primers