Real-time PCR Detection of Foodborne Pathogenic Clostridia

Real-time PCR Detection of Foodborne Pathogenic Clostridiafrom Kathie Grant and Corinne Amar writing in Real-Time PCR in Food Science: Current Technology and Applications:The principle Clostridal foodborne pathogens, Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens are responsible, respectively, for two different toxin mediated foodborne diseases, namely botulism and C. perfringens food poisoning. Foodborne botulism is a severe, life-threatening disease which can affect a large number of people and although incidence is rare, it is considered a public health emergency. Whilst C. perfringens type A food poisoning is far less severe, it is one of the most common causes of bacterial food poisoning in both the UK and US. It is important to have rapid, accurate methods to detect these two clostridial pathogens and their toxins in order to confirm the cause of illness and identify the food source so that appropriate control and preventative interventions can be implemented. However, conventional laboratory methods to detect C. botulinum and C. perfringens in foods and clinical samples are lengthy, complex, may involve the use of animals and are not always very informative. Real-time PCR assays have been developed to rapidly detect the toxin genes of both pathogens and have been used, in conjunction with culture techniques, to: improve the diagnostic procedure; enhance incident and outbreak investigations and provide information on the pathogenicity of isolates. Real-time PCR detec...
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