| 1. |
- Grønlund, H. A., et al.
(författare)
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The use of infrared thermography as a novel approach for real-time validation of PCR thermocyclers
- 2010
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Ingår i: Food Analytical Methods. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1936-9751 .- 1936-976X. ; 3:2, s. 116-119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Validation of PCR thermocycler performance is crucial to obtain reliable results. In this study, infrared (IR) thermography was evaluated as a novel validation tool. After stabilisation, no significant difference in the temperatures recorded using thermography and a reference block-based system was found. By employing IR thermography, information about the length of the time until temperature stabilisation in the sample could be obtained. This study shows the potential of using IR thermography for validation of thermocyclers. © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009.
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| 2. |
- Jakočiune, D., et al.
(författare)
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Enumeration of salmonellae in table eggs, pasteurized egg products, and egg-containing dishes by using quantitative real-time PCR
- 2014
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 80:5, s. 1616-1622
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salmonellae are a major cause of food-borne outbreaks in Europe, with eggs and egg products being identified as major sources. Due to the low levels of salmonellae in eggs and egg products, direct quantification is difficult. In the present study, enrichment quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was employed for enumeration of salmonellae in different matrices: table eggs, pasteurized egg products, and egg-containing dishes. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Tennessee were used to artificially contaminate these matrices. The results showed a linear regression between the numbers of salmonellae and the quantification cycle (Cq) values for all matrices used, with the exception of pasteurized egg white. Standard curves were constructed by using both stationary-phase cells and heat-stressed cells, with similar results. Finally, this method was used to evaluate the fate of salmonellae in two egg-containing dishes, long egg and tiramisu, at abused refrigeration temperatures, and results indicated the growth of bacteria over a 1-week period. In conclusion, enrichment qPCR was shown to be reliable for enumeration of salmonellae in different egg products. © 2014, American Society for Microbiology.
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| 3. |
- Josefsen, M. H., et al.
(författare)
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Rapid quantification of viable Campylobacter bacteria on chicken carcasses, using real-time pcr and propidium monoazide treatment, as a tool for quantitative risk assessment
- 2010
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 76:15, s. 5097-5104
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A number of intervention strategies against Campylobacter-contaminated poultry focus on postslaughter reduction of the number of cells, emphasizing the need for rapid and reliable quantitative detection of only viable Campylobacter bacteria. We present a new and rapid quantitative approach to the enumeration of food-borne Campylobacter bacteria that combines real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) with simple propidium monoazide (PMA) sample treatment. In less than 3 h, this method generates a signal from only viable and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) Campylobacter bacteria with an intact membrane. The method's performance was evaluated by assessing the contributions to variability by individual chicken carcass rinse matrices, species of Campylobacter, and differences in efficiency of DNA extraction with differing cell inputs. The method was compared with culture-based enumeration on 50 naturally infected chickens. The cell contents correlated with cycle threshold (CT.) values (R2 = 0.993), with a quantification range of 1 × 102 to 1 × 107 CFU/ml. The correlation between the Campylobacter counts obtained by PMA-PCR and culture on naturally contaminated chickens was high (R 2 = 0.844). The amplification efficiency of the Q-PCR method was not affected by the chicken rinse matrix or by the species of Campylobacter. No Q-PCR signals were obtained from artificially inoculated chicken rinse when PMA sample treatment was applied. In conclusion, this study presents a rapid tool for producing reliable quantitative data on viable Campylobacter bacteria in chicken carcass rinse. The proposed method does not detect DNA from dead Campylobacter bacteria but recognizes the infectious potential of the VBNC state and is thereby able to assess the effect of control strategies and provide trustworthy data for risk assessment. Copyright © 2010, American Society tor Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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| 4. |
- Søndergaard, M. S. R., et al.
(författare)
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Low-cost monitoring of Campylobacter in poultry houses by air sampling and quantitative PCR
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Food Protection. - 0362-028X .- 1944-9097. ; 77:2, s. 325-330
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study describes the evaluation of a method for the quantification of Campylobacter by air sampling in poultry houses. Sampling was carried out in conventional chicken houses in Poland, in addition to a preliminary sampling in Denmark. Each measurement consisted of three air samples, two standard boot swab fecal samples, and one airborne particle count. Sampling was conducted over an 8-week period in three flocks, assessing the presence and levels of Campylobacter in boot swabs and air samples using quantitative real-time PCR. The detection limit for air sampling was approximately 100 Campylobacter cell equivalents (CCE)/m3. Airborne particle counts were used to analyze the size distribution of airborne particles (0.3 to 10 mm) in the chicken houses in relation to the level of airborne Campylobacter. No correlation was found. Using air sampling, Campylobacter was detected in the flocks right away, while boot swab samples were positive after 2 weeks. All samples collected were positive for Campylobacter from week 2 through the rest of the rearing period for both sampling techniques, although levels 1- to 2-log CCE higher were found with air sampling. At week 8, the levels were approximately 104 and 105 CCE per sample for boot swabs and air, respectively. In conclusion, using air samples combined with quantitative realtime PCR, Campylobacter contamination could be detected earlier than by boot swabs and was found to be a more convenient technique for monitoring and/or to obtain enumeration data useful for quantitative risk assessment of Campylobacter. © International Association for Food Protection.
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| 5. |
- Grønlund, H., et al.
(författare)
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Microarray-based genotyping of Salmonella : Inter-laboratory evaluation of reproducibility and standardization potential
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:SUPPL. 1, s. S79-S85
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacterial food-borne infections in humans caused by Salmonella spp. are considered a crucial food safety issue. Therefore, it is important for the risk assessments of Salmonella to consider the genomic variation among different isolates in order to control pathogen-induced infections. Microarray technology is a promising diagnostic tool that provides genomic information on many genes simultaneously. However, standardization of DNA microarray analysis is needed before it can be used as a routine method for characterizing Salmonella isolates across borders and laboratories. A comparative study was designed in which the agreement of data from a DNA microarray assay used for typing Salmonella spp. between two different labs was assessed. The study was expected to reveal the possibility of obtaining the same results in different labs using different equipment in order to evaluate the reproducibility of the microarray technique as a first step towards standardization. The low-density array contains 281 57-60-mer oligonucleotide probes for detecting a wide range of specific genomic marker genes associated with antibiotic resistance, cell envelope structures, mobile genetic elements and pathogenicity. Several critical methodology parameters that differed between the two labs were identified. These related to printing facilities, choice of hybridization buffer, wash buffers used following the hybridization and choice of procedure for purifying genomic DNA. Critical parameters were randomized in a four-factorial experiment and statistical measures of inter-lab consistency and agreement were performed based on the kappa coefficient. A high level of agreement (kappa = 0.7-1.0) in microarray results was obtained even when employing different printing and hybridization facilities, different procedures for purifying genomic DNA and different wash buffers. However, less agreement (Kappa = 0.2-0.6) between microarray results were observed when using different hybridization buffers, indicating this parameter as being highly critical when transferring a standard microarray assay between laboratories. In conclusion, this study indicates that DNA microarray assays can be reproduced in at least two different facilities, which is a pre-requisite for the development of standard guidelines. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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| 6. |
- Hansen, T., et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of Direct 16S rDNA sequencing as a metagenomics-based approach to screening bacteria in bottled water
- 2013
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Ingår i: Biosecurity and bioterrorism. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1538-7135 .- 1557-850X. ; 11:SUPPL. 1, s. S158-S165
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deliberate or accidental contamination of food, feed, and water supplies poses a threat to human health worldwide. A rapid and sensitive detection technique that could replace the current labor-intensive and time-consuming culture-based methods is highly desirable. In addition to species-specific assays, such as PCR, there is a need for generic methods to screen for unknown pathogenic microorganisms in samples. This work presents a metagenomics-based direct-sequencing approach for detecting unknown microorganisms, using Bacillus cereus (as a model organism for B. anthracis) in bottled water as an example. Total DNA extraction and 16S rDNA gene sequencing were used in combination with principle component analysis and multicurve resolution to study detection level and possibility for identification. Results showed a detection level of 10 5 to 106 CFU/L. Using this method, it was possible to separate 2 B. cereus strains by the principal component plot, despite the close sequence resemblance. A linear correlation between the artificial contamination level and the relative amount of the Bacillus artificial contaminant in the metagenome was observed, and a relative amount value above 0.5 confirmed the presence of Bacillus. The analysis also revealed that background flora in the bottled water varied between the different water types that were included in the study. This method has the potential to be adapted to other biological matrices and bacterial pathogens for fast screening of unknown bacterial threats in outbreak situations. © 2013, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
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| 7. |
- Krämer, N., et al.
(författare)
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A novel strategy to obtain quantitative data for modelling : Combined enrichment and real-time PCR for enumeration of salmonellae from pig carcasses
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:SUPPL. 1, s. S86-S95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salmonella is a major zoonotic pathogen which causes outbreaks and sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. The primary sources for Salmonella are food-producing animals such as pigs and poultry. For risk assessment and hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) concepts, it is essential to produce large amounts of quantitative data, which is currently not achievable with the standard cultural based methods for enumeration of Salmonella. This study presents the development of a novel strategy to enumerate low numbers of Salmonella in cork borer samples taken from pig carcasses as a first concept and proof of principle for a new sensitive and rapid quantification method based on combined enrichment and real-time PCR. The novelty of the approach is in the short pre-enrichment step, where for most bacteria, growth is in the log phase. The method consists of an 8h pre-enrichment of the cork borer sample diluted 1:10 in non-selective buffered peptone water, followed by DNA extraction, and Salmonella detection and quantification by real-time PCR. The limit of quantification was 1.4 colony forming units (CFU)/20cm2 (approximately 10g) of artificially contaminated sample with 95% confidence interval of±0.7 log CFU/sample. The precision was similar to the standard reference most probable number (MPN) method. A screening of 200 potentially naturally contaminated cork borer samples obtained over seven weeks in a slaughterhouse resulted in 25 Salmonella-positive samples. The analysis of salmonellae within these samples showed that the PCR method had a higher sensitivity for samples with a low contamination level (<6.7CFU/sample), where 15 of the samples negative with the MPN method was detected with the PCR method and 5 were found to be negative by both methods. For the samples with a higher contamination level (6.7-310CFU/sample) a good agreement between the results obtained with the PCR and MPN methods was obtained. The quantitative real-time PCR method can easily be applied to other food and environmental matrices by adaptation of the pre-enrichment time and media. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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| 8. |
- Löfström, Charlotta, et al.
(författare)
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Boosting exports of fresh meat by using faster laboratory methods in Denmark
- 2012
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Ingår i: Case Studies in Food Safety and Authenticity: Lessons from Real-Life Situations. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 9780857094124 ; , s. 267-275
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As Denmark is one of the largest pork producers worldwide, exports of pork meat play an important role in the Danish economy. During the slaughter process fresh meat may become contaminated with enteric pathogens that can pose a risk to public health. Certain countries have strict legislative demands when importing meat, especially fresh minced meat due to its very short shelf-life. This case study describes the successful development and implementation of a rapid Salmonella detection method at the largest slaughterhouses in Denmark. © 2012 Woodhead Publishing Limited All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Löfström, Charlotta, et al.
(författare)
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Culture-independent quantification of Salmonella enterica in carcass gauze swabs by flotation prior to real-time PCR
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:SUPPL. 1, s. S103-S109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To facilitate quantitative risk assessment in the meat production chain, there is a need for culture-independent quantification methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of flotation, a non-destructive sample preparation method based on traditional buoyant density centrifugation, for culture-independent quantification of intact Salmonella in pig carcass gauze swabs (100cm2) prior to quantitative PCR (qPCR). A novel approach was investigated, excluding the homogenization step prior to flotation, to improve the detection limit and speed up the quantification procedure. The buoyant density of two Salmonella strains in different growth conditions was determined to be 1.065-1.092g/ml. Based on these data, an optimal discontinuous flotation with three different density layers, ~1.200, 1.102 and 1.055g/ml, was designed for extracting intact Salmonella cells from pig carcass swabs. The method allowed accurate quantification from 4.4×102 to at least 2.2×107CFU Salmonella per swab sample using qPCR (without preceding DNA extraction) or selective plating on xylose lysine deoxycholate agar. Samples with 50CFU could be detected occasionally but fell outside the linear range of the standard curve. The swab samples showed a broad biological diversity; for seven samples not inoculated with Salmonella, the microbial background flora (BGF) was determined to 5.0±2.2 log CFU/ml sample withdrawn after flotation. It was determined that the proceeding PCR step was inhibited by BGF concentrations of ≥6.1×108CFU/swab sample, but not by concentrations ≤6.1×106CFU/swab sample. By using the gauze swabs directly in the flotation procedure, the homogenization step normally used for preparation of food-related samples could be excluded, which simplified the culture-independent quantification method considerably. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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| 10. |
- Löfström, Charlotta, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of salmonella in meat : Comparative and interlaboratory validation of a noncomplex and cost-effective pre-PCR protocol
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of AOAC International. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1060-3271 .- 1944-7922. ; 95:1, s. 100-104
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cost-effective and rapid monitoring of Salmonella in the meat production chain can contribute to food safety. The objective of this study was to validate an easy-to-use pre-PCR sample preparation method based on a simple boiling protocol for screening of Salmonella in meat and carcass swab samples using a real-time PCR method. The protocol included incubation in buffered peptone water, centrifugation of an aliquot, and a boiling procedure. The validation study included comparative and interlaboratory trials recommended by the Nordic Organization for Validation of Alternative Microbiological Methods (NordVal). The comparative trial was performed against a reference method (NMKL 187, 2007) and a PCR method previously approved by NordVal with a semiautomated magnetic bead-based DNA extraction step using 122 artificially contaminated samples. The LOD was found to be 3.0, 3.2, and 3.4 CFU/sample for the boiling, magnetic bead-based, and NMKL 187 methods, respectively. When comparing the boiling method with the magnetic beads, the relative accuracy (AC), relative sensitivity (SE), and relative specificity (SP) were 98, 102, and 98%, respectively (Cohen's kappa index 0.95). When comparing results obtained by the boiling to the culture-based method, the AC, SE, and SP were found to be 98, 102, and 98%, respectively (kappa index 0.93). In the interlaboratory trial including valid results from 11 laboratories, apart from two falsepositive samples by the boiling method combined with PCR, no deviating results were obtained (SP, SE, and AC were 100, 95, and 97%, respectively). This test is under implementation by the Danish meat industry, and can be useful for screening of large number of samples in the meat production, especially for fast release of minced meat with a short shelf life. © 2012 Publishing Technology.
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