Development of a novel invA gene-based real-time PCR assay for the detection of Salmonella in food

Abstract

In this study, the primers and the probe were designed, and a completely new real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for detecting the invA gene of Salmonella in food was optimised and validated in-house. The inclusivity test used 76 different Salmonella isolates with no false-negative results. The exclusivity was tested using 45 non-Salmonella microorganisms with no false-positive results. The method was also successfully applied while examining five different artificially contaminated food categories. The results were compared to the standard method (ISO 6579-1) and two previously validated real-time PCR methods. The developed assay is sensitive and specific for rapidly detecting Salmonella in food.

Keywords

• molecular detection
• food safety
• validation
• pathogen
• artificial contamination