Specific detection of the most prevalent five Listeria strains and unspecific detection of 15 Listeria using multiplex real-time PCR

Listeria in food, are a serious risk to consumer's health that may even have a fatal outcome. To analyze Listeria in food, the methods used must provide reliable results and detect all strains of Listeria. Several qPCR systems have been published for the identification of Listeria monocytogenes, innocua, ivanovii, welshimeri and seeligeri. PCR systems for Listeria spp. have also been published. However, they do not detect all known Listeria. To achieve this, we have developed a novel multiplex real-time PCR method. This multiplex qPCR system was able to determine DNA specifically from the five most common Listeria as well as 15 other known Listeria strains simultaneously after cultivation on selective plates.

Automated summary

Listeria in food poses a serious risk to consumer health, and reliable methods are needed for detection. While various PCR systems have been developed for identifying Listeria strains, they may not detect all known strains. This study introduces a novel multiplex real-time PCR method that can simultaneously detect multiple common and known Listeria strains.