PCR-related techniques for detecting food born pathogens.
odonnell at sasa.gov.uk
Tue Apr 4 04:56:34 EST 1995
How about devising a system based on detecting RNA? This is degraded
faster than DNA, so you'd have less chance of false positives based on
nucleic acids from dead cells.
Another alternative approach would be to follow up any PCR positives
with traditional plating-out, with a positive result in both required for
confirmation of the presence of the pathogen in food. There would still be
an advantage in using PCR because it would screen out the negative
No references for either of these - just a couple of ideas that occured to
me over my mid-morning cuppa:-)
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
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