Effects of rainfall on the occurrence of human adenoviruses, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli in seawater

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Haramoto ◽  
H. Katayama ◽  
K. Oguma ◽  
Y. Koibuchi ◽  
H. Furumai ◽  
...  

A two-month survey was conducted in order to evaluate the effects of rainfall on the fate of microorganisms in seawater in the Tokyo Bay, Japan. The seawater sample (1,000 mL) was applied to a method to concentrate virus, followed by a quantification of human adenoviruses using the real-time PCR. Total coliforms and E. coli, which were determined by the colony forming method, were detected in all 47 seawater samples, while human adenoviruses were detected in 38 (81%) of the samples. The concentration of tested microorganisms showed 1–2 log units increase after rainfall events, followed by the gradual decrease to the level before the rainfall within a few days.

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1366-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUXIN WANG ◽  
YONG LI ◽  
AZLIN MUSTAPHA

The objective of this study was to establish a multiplex real-time PCR for the simultaneous quantitation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella. Genomic DNA for the real-time PCR was extracted by the boiling method. Three sets of primers and corresponding TaqMan probes were designed to target these three pathogenic bacteria. Multiplex real-time PCR was performed with TaqMan Universal PCR Master Mix in an ABI Prism 7700 Sequence Detection System. Final standard curves were calculated for each pathogen by plotting the threshold cycle value against the bacterial number (log CFU per milliliter) via linear regression. With optimized conditions, the quantitative detection range of the real-time multiplex PCR for pure cultures was 102 to 109 CFU/ml for E. coli O157:H7, 103 to 109 CFU/ml for Salmonella, and 101 to 108 CFU/ml for Shigella. When the established multiplex real-time PCR system was applied to artificially contaminated ground beef, the detection limit was 105 CFU/g for E. coli O157:H7, 103 CFU/g for Salmonella, and 104 CFU/g for Shigella. Immunomagnetic separation (IMS) was further used to separate E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella from the beef samples. With the additional use of IMS, the detection limit was 103 CFU/g for both pathogens. Results from this study showed that TaqMan real-time PCR, combined with IMS, is potentially an effective method for the rapid and reliable quantitation of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella in food.


2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 1593-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL A. GRANT

A new procedure for enrichment of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other Shiga toxin–producing E. coli was compared to five standard methods: the British Public Health Laboratory Service, International Standard Method, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Canadian Health Products and Food Branch, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new procedure was comparable to the standard methods in its ability to detect target cells inoculated into foods at approximately 1 CFU g−1. Comparisons were also made of the ability of the six enrichment procedures to detect E. coli O157:H7 against a large background of competitor microorganisms. In these experiments the new procedure yielded more target cells than the other five enrichments by two to three orders of magnitude as determined by enumeration on sorbitol MacConkey agar with tellurite and cefixime and Rainbow agar with tellurite and novobiocin and by verification of presumptive colonies by real-time PCR. For example, the population of enterohemorrhagic E. coli strain 6341 recovered on sorbitol MacConkey agar with tellurite and cefixime after enrichment with the experimental method was 2.42 × 108 CFU ml−1 and 1.80 × 106 CFU ml−1 after enrichment with the Canadian Health Products and Food Branch method, the second most effective in this experiment. In addition, broth cultures resulting from each of the six enrichment procedures were used to prepare templates for real-time PCR detection of stx1/stx2. Resulting threshold cycle (Ct) values after the experimental enrichment were similar to positive control values, whereas the five standard methods produced delayed Ct values or were not detected.


2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 482-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekka R.E Artz ◽  
Lisa M Avery ◽  
Davey L Jones ◽  
Ken Killham

The detection sensitivity and potential interference factors of a commonly used assay based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Escherichia coli O157:H7 using eae gene-specific primers were assessed. Animal wastes and soil samples were spiked with known replicate quantities of a nontoxigenic strain of E. coli O157:H7 in a viable or dead state and as unprotected DNA. The detection sensitivity and accuracy of real-time PCR for E. coli O157:H7 in animal wastes and soil is low compared to enrichment culturing. Nonviable cells and unprotected DNA were shown to produce positive results in several of the environmental samples tested, leading to potential overestimates of cell numbers due to prolonged detection of nonviable cells. This demonstrates the necessity for the specific calibration of real-time PCR assays in environmental samples. The accuracy of the eae gene–based detection method was further evaluated over time in a soil system against an activity measurement, using the bioluminescent properties of an E. coli O157:H7 Tn5luxCDABE construct. The detection of significant numbers of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) as well as nonviable and possibly physically protected cells as shown over a period of 90 days further complicates the use of real-time PCR assays for quick diagnostics in environmental samples and infers that enrichment culturing is still required for the final verification of samples found positive by real-time PCR methods.Key words: Escherichia coli O157:H7, real-time PCR, animal waste, soil, VBNC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-175
Author(s):  
Dane Brooks ◽  
Benjamin Bastin ◽  
Erin Crowley ◽  
James Agin ◽  
Mike Clark ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The iQ-Check Real-Time PCR kits use PCR technology based on gene amplification and detection by a real-time PCR thermalcycler for the detection of target analytes in select food matrices. The iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 [Performance Tested MethodSM (PTM) 020801] and STEC VirX and STEC SerO (combined PTM 121203) methods were previously validated for different matrices under different enrichment schemes. Objective: To modify the current iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 Kit for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from 25 to 375 g for raw ground beef (17% fat), raw beef trim, and fresh spinach. In addition, a matrix extension was validated for iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 for raw chicken breast without skin (25 g), raw chicken thigh with skin (25 g), mechanically separated chicken (25 g), and raw ground pork (25 g). The study also included the modification of the iQ-Check STEC VirX and SerO Kits for the detection of non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) for raw ground beef (375 g), raw beef trim (375 g), and fresh spinach (375 g) from STEC Enrichment Broth to buffered peptone water (BPW). All tests were carried out at 8–22 h (10–22 h for fresh spinach). Methods: Ground beef, beef trim, and spinach were co-inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, non-O157 STECs, and Salmonella spp. and analyzed for E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STECs after an 8-22 h enrichment in BPW for the beef matrices and after a 10–22 h enrichment in BPW for spinach. The chicken matrices were inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 only and analyzed after an 8–22 h enrichment in BPW. The iQ-Check Free DNA Removal Solution workflow was utilized for all matrices. Confirmations at the 22 h time point and method comparisons were conducted with the appropriate reference method as outlined in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual Chapter 4A or the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook Chapters 5.09 and 5B.05. For the iQ-Check STEC VirX and STEC SerO Kits, inclusivity and exclusivity were also performed. Results: The two inclusivity and exclusivity evaluations indicated that the test methods can accurately detect the target analytes and correctly excluded nontarget organisms after 8 h of enrichment. In the method comparison study, the iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 and STEC VirX and STEC SerO test kits demonstrated no statistically significant differences between candidate and reference method results or between presumptive and confirmed results for all food matrices analyzed and the two time points (8 or 10 and 22 h). Both time points produced the same results, with no discrepancies. Conclusions: The iQ-Check real-time PCR kits are effective methods for the detection of E. coli O157 and non-O157 STECs (both the virulence factors and the O groups) from raw ground beef, raw beef trim, and fresh spinach in 375 g samples enriched in BPW for 8–22 h (10–22 h for fresh spinach). In addition, the iQ-Check E. coli O157 Kit is effective in detecting E. coli O157 in 25 g samples of raw chicken breast without skin, raw chicken thigh with skin, mechanically separated chicken, and raw ground pork. The iQ-Check test kits allow the end user to pair enrichments for multiple target analytes, allowing the user to prepare a single enrichment and perform a single DNA extraction. The Free DNA Removal Solution removes free DNA from samples prior to PCR analysis, protecting DNA from intact and living cells. Highlights: The method modifications were granted based on the data collected.


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.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (22) ◽  
pp. 7115-7124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Khafipour ◽  
Shucong Li ◽  
Jan C. Plaizier ◽  
Denis O. Krause

ABSTRACT Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is a metabolic disease in dairy cattle that occurs during early and mid-lactation and has traditionally been characterized by low rumen pH, but lactic acid does not accumulate as in acute lactic acid acidosis. It is hypothesized that factors such as increased gut permeability, bacterial lipopolysaccharides, and inflammatory responses may have a role in the etiology of SARA. However, little is known about the nature of the rumen microbiome during SARA. In this study, we analyzed the microbiome of 64 rumen samples taken from eight lactating Holstein dairy cattle using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (TRFLP) of 16S rRNA genes and real-time PCR. We used rumen samples from two published experiments in which SARA had been induced with either grain or alfalfa pellets. The results of TRFLP analysis indicated that the most predominant shift during SARA was a decline in gram-negative Bacteroidetes organisms. However, the proportion of Bacteroidetes organisms was greater in alfalfa pellet-induced SARA than in mild or severe grain-induced SARA (35.4% versus 26.0% and 16.6%, respectively). This shift was also evident from the real-time PCR data for Prevotella albensis, Prevotella brevis, and Prevotella ruminicola, which are members of the Bacteroidetes. The real-time PCR data also indicated that severe grain-induced SARA was dominated by Streptococcus bovis and Escherichia coli, whereas mild grain-induced SARA was dominated by Megasphaera elsdenii and alfalfa pellet-induced SARA was dominated by P. albensis. Using discriminant analysis, the severity of SARA and degree of inflammation were highly correlated with the abundance of E. coli and not with lipopolysaccharide in the rumen. We thus suspect that E. coli may be a contributing factor in disease onset.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Ema Komalasari ◽  
Winiati P. Rahayu ◽  
Siti Nurjanah

Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been implicated in a wide range of disease causing infections. It is essential to generate a method for detecting and differentiating each pathotype of E. coli which is more quickly and efficiently by using less reagent. This study aimed to evaluate a SYBR Green multiplex real-time PCR method for detecting four types of pathogenic E. coli. Two of multiplex real-time PCR system, 6-plex and 3-plex, were set to detect six different virulence factors from ETEC, EPEC, EHEC, and EIEC and evaluate the melting curves and specificity compared to simplex method. The results showed that 3-plex rt-PCR method gave more reliable melting curves than 6-plex. The 3-plex rt-PCR also provided similar melting value (Tm) to simplex system. The results of this specificity assay supported the selection of 3-plex rt-PCR conditions for detection of pathogenic E. coli.


2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 2717-2724 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUNEE HIMATHONGKHAM ◽  
MARY LEE DODD ◽  
JENNY K. YEE ◽  
DAVID K. LAU ◽  
RAYMOND G. BRYANT ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to develop a rapid, simple method for enhanced detection and isolation of low levels of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from leafy produce and surface water using recirculating immunomagnetic separation (RIMS) coupled with real-time PCR and a standard culture method. The optimal enrichment conditions for the method also were determined. Analysis of real-time PCR data (CT values) suggested that incubation of lettuce and spinach leaves rather than rinsates provides better enrichment of E. coli O157:H7. Enrichment of lettuce or spinach leaves at 42°C for 5 h provided better detection than enrichment at 37°C. Extended incubation of surface water for 20 h at 42°C did not improve the detection. The optimized enrichment conditions were also employed with modified Moore swabs, which were used to sample flowing water sites. Positive isolation rates and real-time PCR results indicated an increased recovery of E. coli O157:H7 from all samples following the application of RIMS. Under these conditions, the method provided detection and/or isolation of E. coli O157:H7 at levels as low as 0.07 CFU/g of lettuce, 0.1 CFU/g of spinach, 6 CFU/100 ml of surface water, and 9 CFU per modified Moore swab. During a 6-month field study, modified Moore swabs yielded high isolation rates when deployed in natural watershed sites. The method used in this study was effective for monitoring E. coli O157:H7 in the farm environment, during postharvest processing, and in foodborne outbreak investigations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 2148-2153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Qin ◽  
Eileen J. Klein ◽  
Emmanouil Galanakis ◽  
Anita A. Thomas ◽  
Jennifer R. Stapp ◽  
...  

Timely accurate diagnosis of Shiga toxin-producingEscherichia coli(STEC) infections is important. We evaluated a laboratory-developed real-time PCR (LD-PCR) assay targetingstx1,stx2, andrfbEO157with 2,386 qualifying stool samples submitted to the microbiology laboratory of a tertiary care pediatric center between July 2011 and December 2013. Broth cultures of PCR-positive samples were tested for Shiga toxins by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (ImmunoCard STAT! enterohemorrhagicE. coli[EHEC]; Meridian Bioscience) and cultured in attempts to recover both O157 and non-O157 STEC.E. coliO157 and non-O157 STEC were detected in 35 and 18 cases, respectively. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) occurred in 12 patients (10 infected with STEC O157, one infected with STEC O125ac, and one with PCR evidence of STEC but no resulting isolate). Among the 59 PCR-positive STEC specimens from 53 patients, only 29 (54.7%) of the associated specimens were toxin positive by EIA. LD-PCR differentiated STEC O157 from non-O157 usingrfbEO157, and LD-PCR results prompted successful recovery ofE. coliO157 (n= 25) and non-O157 STEC (n= 8) isolates, although the primary cultures and toxin assays were frequently negative. A rapid “mega”-multiplex PCR (FilmArray gastrointestinal panel; BioFire Diagnostics) was used retrospectively, and results correlated with LD-PCR findings in 25 (89%) of the 28 sorbitol-MacConkey agar culture-negative STEC cases. These findings demonstrate that PCR is more sensitive than EIA and/or culture and distinguishes between O157 and non-O157 STEC in clinical samples and thatE. coliO157:H7 remains the predominant cause of HUS in our institution. PCR is highly recommended for rapid diagnosis of pediatric STEC infections.


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