Investigation of the potential for the development of a multiplex PCR-based procedure for the screening and/or detection of six foodborne pathogens

The detection limit of the assay for the bacterial targets was 1 - 100 cfu per ml. The multiplex PCR analysis was designed for three main food clusters; meat and meat products testing for Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7, seafood and seafood products testing for V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus and ready-to-eat foods testing for S. aureus. Overall, results of the present study indicate that the multiplex PCR is a potentially useful technique for the rapid detection of foodborne bacteria for routine monitoring and risk assessment of food. The detection of all six foodborne pathogenic bacteria could be completed in less than 48 h with this novel PCR method.