title: Polymerase chain reaction amplification length-dependent ethidium monoazide suppression power for heat-killed cells of Enterobacteriaceae.
abstract: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can confirm the presence of bacteria, but it is unable to differentiate between live and dead bacteria. Although ethidium monoazide (EMA)- and propidium monoazide (PMA)-based PCR have been evaluated, a quantity of ≥ 10(3)cells/ml dead cells produces a false-positive reading at 40 to 50 cycles (K. Rudi et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71 (2005) 1018-1024). After confirming the precision of real-time PCR of a long DNA target (16S or 23S ribosomal RNA [rRNA] gene, 1490 or 2840 bp), we evaluated the degree of suppression of an EMA treatment on the 16S/23S PCR using various amplification lengths (110-2840 bp) with heat-killed cells of Enterobacteriaceae (e.g., Salmonella enteritidis). We found that the inhibition rate was proportional to the PCR amplification length; short DNA (110 bp) amplification slightly delayed the threshold cycle (C(T)) of heat-killed cells of Enterobacteriaceae when compared with no EMA treatment. Regardless of the amplification length, the C(T) delay using live cells of Enterobacteriaceae with EMA was negligible. Thus, our real-time PCR of a long DNA (16S or 23S) template following EMA treatment is a rapid viable bacterial assay, which can potentially target all genera, for testing pasteurized milk that may have originally been contaminated with high levels of dead bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. t_soezim@morinagamilk.co.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soejima
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schlitt-Dittrich
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D001386:Azides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D050296:Microbial Viability; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000737:chemistry; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001386:Azides; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S; C014535:8-azidoethidium