Development of a multiplex PCR assay for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxigenic strains isolated from milk and dairy products

• Published in: Molecular and cellular probes Vol. 19; no. 5; pp. 299 - 305
• Main Authors: Cremonesi, Paola, Luzzana, Massimo, Brasca, Milena, Morandi, Stefano, Lodi, Roberta, Vimercati, Chiara, Agnellini, Dario, Caramenti, Giancarlo, Moroni, Paolo, Castiglioni, Bianca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2005
• Subjects: Animals; Dairy products; Dairy Products - microbiology; Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus; Enterotoxins; Food Contamination; Humans; Milk; Milk - microbiology; Multiplex PCR; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Reproducibility of Results; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S - metabolism; Sensitivity and Specificity; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - classification; Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Multiplex PCR; Dairy products; Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus; Milk
• ISSN: 0890-8508; 1096-1194
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2005.03.002

A multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection of Staphylococcus aureus 23S rRNA, the coagulase and thermonuclease genes as well as the enterotoxin genes sea, sec, sed, seg, seh, sei, sej, sel was developed. The method was used to determine the presence of enterotoxigenic types for 93 S. aureus strains isolated from milk and dairy products. The data obtained by mPCR resulted comparable to those obtained by immunoassay methods. In addition, the mPCR assays also amplified some se genes, whose toxins are undetectable by immunoassay. Multiplex amplification can be obtained starting from 1 pg of DNA, showing the excellent specificity and high sensitivity of the assay.