The development of a combined surface adhesion and polymerase chain reaction technique in the rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes in meat and poultry

• Published in: International journal of food microbiology 1999-08, Vol.49 (3), p.151-159
• Main Authors: Duffy, Geraldine, Cloak, Orla M, Sheridan, J.J, Blair, I.S, McDowell, D.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; CARNE DE AVES; Cattle; Chickens; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; IDENTIFICACION; IDENTIFICATION; Listeria; LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES; Listeria monocytogenes - isolation & purification; Meat and meat product industries; Meat Products - microbiology; PCR; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; POULTRY MEAT; Surface adhesion; Surface Properties; VIANDE DE VOLAILLE
• ISSN: 0168-1605; 1879-3460
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-1605(99)00091-4

A procedure combining enrichment surface adhesion and polymerase chain detection (SA-PCR) was developed and applied in the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in meat products. Minced beef samples were inoculated with L. monocytogenes (log103 cfu g−1) and incubated for 10 h at 30°C in buffered peptone water. L. monocytogenes was recovered from the culture by attachment to a polycarbonate membrane immersed for 15 min in the enriched meat culture. The membrane and attached bacteria were removed from the culture and the membrane dissolved in phenol:chloroform. The DNA was extracted from the bacteria and a PCR assay was carried out using primers directed against the listerolysin O gene of L. monocytogenes. The combined (SA-PCR) technique had a detection limit of log10 4.0 cfu ml−1 in enriched meat cultures.The rapid technique was applied to a small number of retail samples (n=100) and was found to compare favourably to the standard cultural method. A total of 12 samples were confirmed positive for L. monocytogenes using the standard cultural method and the SA-PCR assay. No false positives or negatives were recorded by either method.