Simultaneous Rapid Detection and Serotyping of Cronobacter sakazakii Serotypes O1, O2, and O3 by Using Specific Monoclonal Antibodies
ABSTRACTCronobacter sakazakiiis a foodborne pathogen associated with rare but often lethal infections in neonates. Powdered infant formula (PIF) represents the most frequent source of infection. Out of the identified serotypes (O1 to O7), O1, O2, and O3 are often isolated from clinical and PIF samples. Serotype-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) suitable for application in enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for the rapid detection ofC. sakazakiihave not yet been developed. In this study, we created specific MAbs with the ability to bind toC. sakazakiiof serotypes O1, O2, and O3. Characterization by indirect EIAs, immunofluorescence, motility assays, and immunoblotting identified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and exopolysaccharide (EPS) as the antigenic determinants of the MAbs. The established sandwich EIAs were highly sensitive and were able to detect between 2 × 103and 9 × 106CFU/ml. Inclusivity tests confirmed that 93% of serotype O1 strains, 100% of O2 strains, and 87% of O3 strains were detected at low cell counts. No cross-reactivity with >100 strains ofCronobacterspp. and otherEnterobacteriaceaewas observed, except for that withC. sakazakiiserotype O3 andCronobactermuytjensiiserotype O1. Moreover, the sandwich EIAs detectedC. sakazakiiin PIF samples artificially contaminated with 1 to 10 bacterial cells per 10 g of sample after 15 h of preenrichment. The use of these serotype-specific MAbs not only allows the reliable detection ofC. sakazakiistrains but also enables simultaneous serotyping in a simple sandwich EIA method.