scholarly journals Application of quantitative real-time PCR compared to filtration methods for the enumeration of Escherichia coli in surface waters within Vietnam

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierangeli G. Vital ◽  
Nguyen Thi Van Ha ◽  
Le Thi Hong Tuyet ◽  
Kenneth W. Widmer

Surface water samples in Vietnam were collected from the Saigon River, rural and suburban canals, and urban runoff canals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and were processed to enumerate Escherichia coli. Quantification was done through membrane filtration and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mean log colony-forming unit (CFU)/100 ml E. coli counts in the dry season for river/suburban canals and urban canals were log 2.8 and 3.7, respectively, using a membrane filtration method, while using Taqman quantitative real-time PCR they were log 2.4 and 2.8 for river/suburban canals and urban canals, respectively. For the wet season, data determined by the membrane filtration method in river/suburban canals and urban canals samples had mean counts of log 3.7 and 4.1, respectively. While mean log CFU/100 ml counts in the wet season using quantitative PCR were log 3 and 2, respectively. Additionally, the urban canal samples were significantly lower than those determined by conventional culture methods for the wet season. These results show that while quantitative real-time PCR can be used to determine levels of fecal indicator bacteria in surface waters, there are some limitations to its application and it may be impacted by sources of runoff based on surveyed samples.

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (10) ◽  
pp. 3086-3094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyatt C. Green ◽  
Richard A. Haugland ◽  
Manju Varma ◽  
Hana T. Millen ◽  
Mark A. Borchardt ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTQuantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays that target the human-associated HF183 bacterial cluster within members of the genusBacteroidesare among the most widely used methods for the characterization of human fecal pollution in ambient surface waters. In this study, we show that a current TaqMan HF183 qPCR assay (HF183/BFDrev) routinely forms nonspecific amplification products and introduce a modified TaqMan assay (HF183/BacR287) that alleviates this problem. The performance of each qPCR assay was compared in head-to-head experiments investigating limits of detection, analytical precision, predicted hybridization to 16S rRNA gene sequences from a reference database, and relative marker concentrations in fecal and sewage samples. The performance of the modified HF183/BacR287 assay is equal to or improves upon that of the original HF183/BFDrev assay. In addition, a qPCR chemistry designed to combat amplification inhibition and a multiplexed internal amplification control are included. In light of the expanding use of PCR-based methods that rely on the detection of extremely low concentrations of DNA template, such as qPCR and digital PCR, the new TaqMan HF183/BacR287 assay should provide more accurate estimations of human-derived fecal contaminants in ambient surface waters.


2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 412-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL A. GRANT ◽  
JINXIN HU ◽  
KAREN C. JINNEMAN

A multiplex real-time PCR method was developed for detection of heat-labile and heat-stable toxin genes in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Approximately 10 CFU per reaction mixture could be detected in rinsates from produce samples. Several foods representative of varieties previously shown to have caused enterotoxigenic E. coli outbreaks were spiked and enriched for 4 or 6 h. Both heat-labile and heat-stable toxin genes could be detected in the foods tested, with the exception of hot sauce, with threshold cycle values ranging from 25.2 to 41.1. A procedure using membrane filtration which would allow enumeration of the enterotoxigenic E. coli population in a food sample in less than 28 h by real-time PCR analysis of colonies picked from media highly selective for E. coli was also developed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 1576-1583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sa. Bonetta ◽  
Si. Bonetta ◽  
E. Ferretti ◽  
F. Balocco ◽  
E. Carraro

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 3593-3597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie Mull ◽  
Vincent R. Hill

ABSTRACT Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC O157:H7) outbreaks have revealed the need for improved analytical techniques for environmental samples. Ultrafiltration (UF) is increasingly recognized as an effective procedure for concentrating and recovering microbes from large volumes of water and treated wastewater. This study describes the application of hollow-fiber UF as the primary step for concentrating EHEC O157:H7 seeded into 40-liter samples of surface water, followed by an established culture/immunomagnetic-separation (IMS) method and a suite of real-time PCR assays. Three TaqMan assays were used to detect the stx1, stx2, and rfbE gene targets. The results from this study indicate that approximately 50 EHEC O157:H7 cells can be consistently recovered from a 40-liter surface water sample and detected by culture and real-time PCR. Centrifugation was investigated and shown to be a viable alternative to membrane filtration in the secondary culture/IMS step when water quality limits the volume of water that can be processed by a filter. Using multiple PCR assay sets to detect rfbE, stx1, and stx2 genes allowed for specific detection of EHEC O157:H7 from strains that do not possess all three genes. The reported sample collection and analysis procedure should be a sensitive and effective tool for detecting EHEC O157:H7 in response to outbreaks of disease associated with contaminated water.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (19) ◽  
pp. 6321-6325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Bernasconi ◽  
Giorgio Volponi ◽  
Claudia Picozzi ◽  
Roberto Foschino

ABSTRACT A quantitative real-time PCR targeting the tnaA gene was studied to detect Escherichia coli and distinguish E. coli from Shigella spp. These microorganisms revealed high similarity in the molecular organization of the tna operon.


2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (19) ◽  
pp. 4790-4801 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Varma ◽  
R. Field ◽  
M. Stinson ◽  
B. Rukovets ◽  
L. Wymer ◽  
...  

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