Real Time PCR Assay Detects Staphylococcus aureus

A real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay detects Staphylococcus aureus in raw ground beef and powdered infant formula.

Traditional methods to test for S. aureus in food require two to six days for cultural growth and manual enumeration. The Bax System real-time PCR assay for the detection of S. aureus dramatically reduces testing times, providing food companies with next-day presence/absence results.

The Bax system Q7 incorporates molecular technology into routine testing of food, both raw ingredients and finished products. The system is made up of tableted PCR reagents, automated PCR thermo-cycling process, and easy-to-use software. In addition to the new S. aureus assay, the Bax System can test for Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria species, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Enterobacter sakazakii, Campylobacter species, and yeasts and moulds.

The Bax system Q7 was launched by Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK). S. aureus are often found on human skin, in nasal passages, and in the environment. Some strains of S. aureus produce toxins that can cause illness when ingested through contaminated food, such as meat and dairy products. Whereas certain levels of the bacterium can be tolerated in some foods, most infant formulations, including those of dairy origin, should not contain any S. aureus.

Oxoid is a marketing partner for the DuPont Qualicon BAX System Q7 automated food pathogen detection system.


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