BfR and ANSES develop test system for the identification of EHEC contaminations in foods
System detects specifically the EHEC outbreak strain O104:H4
A rapid and reliable test for the detection of the EHEC strain O104:H4 in foods had so far not been available in Germany. For that reason foods contaminated by this specific germ could not yet be identified. Although individual contaminations of vegetables with Shiga toxin-producing germs had been detected, it could not be confirmed that they belong to the outbreak strain EHEC O104:H4.
The method with which the pathogen O104:H4, also referred to as HUSEC 41, was detected in patients affected by EHEC infections in Germany, is a classical multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It is not yet known whether this method is suited for foods. Under the impression of the massive EHEC O104:H4 outbreak in Germany, a specific quantitative real-time PCR has now been tested at the National Reference laboratory for Escherichia coli of BfR in food samples and O104:H4 reference strains. It is based on a rapid, quantitative detection of Shiga toxin genes and the Escherichia coli O104:H4 wzx gene. The detection system can identify EHEC O104:H4 in enrichment cultures of suspected foods. First vegetable foods originating from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin have already been analysed with the method. EHEC was not detected.
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Topic World PCR
This groundbreaking and highly versatile molecular technique of PCR allows us to amplify tiny amounts of genetic material on a large scale and analyze them in detail. Whether in medical diagnostics, forensic DNA analysis or research into genetic diseases - PCR is an indispensable tool that gives us deep insights into the world of DNA. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)!
Topic World PCR
This groundbreaking and highly versatile molecular technique of PCR allows us to amplify tiny amounts of genetic material on a large scale and analyze them in detail. Whether in medical diagnostics, forensic DNA analysis or research into genetic diseases - PCR is an indispensable tool that gives us deep insights into the world of DNA. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)!