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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2001, p. 206-216, Vol. 67, No. 1
Tokyo University of Fisheries, Department of
Food Science and Technology, Tokyo 108-8477,1
and Hiroshima University, Department of Food Microbiology
and Hygiene, Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima
739-8528,2 Japan
Received 13 July 2000/Accepted 2 November 2000
A rapid, quantitative PCR assay (TaqMan assay) which quantifies
Clostridium botulinum type E by amplifying a 280-bp
sequence from the botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E) gene is
described. With this method, which uses the hydrolysis of an internal
fluoregenic probe and monitors in real time the increase in the
intensity of fluorescence during PCR by using the ABI Prism 7700 sequence detection system, it was possible to perform accurate and
reproducible quantification of the C. botulinum type E
toxin gene. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were verified
by using 6 strains of C. botulinum type E and 18 genera of
42 non-C. botulinum type E strains, including strains of
C. botulinum types A, B, C, D, F, and G. In both pure
cultures and modified-atmosphere-packaged fish samples (jack mackerel),
the increase in amounts of C. botulinum DNA could be
monitored (the quantifiable range was 102 to
108 CFU/ml or g) much earlier than toxin could be detected
by mouse assay. The method was applied to a variety of seafood samples with a DNA extraction protocol using guanidine isothiocyanate. Overall,
an efficient recovery of C. botulinum cells was obtained from all of the samples tested. These results suggested that
quantification of BoNT/E DNA by the rapid, quantitative PCR method was
a good method for the sensitive assessment of botulinal risk in the
seafood samples tested.
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.1.206-216.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Rapid, Quantitative PCR Monitoring of Growth of
Clostridium botulinum Type E in
Modified-Atmosphere-Packaged Fish
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Tokyo University
of Fisheries, Department of Food Science and Technology, Kounan 4-5-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan. Phone: 81-3-5463-0603. Fax: 81-3-5463-0602. E-mail: kimubo{at}tokyo-u-fish.ac.jp.
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