Real-time PCR assay for detection of Trichinella in meat

Trichinella are a group of widely distributed parasites which have acquired high social relevance due to their involvement in foodborne infections caused by consumption of raw or undercooked food. A TaqMan®-LNA probe Real-time PCR assay targeting the 5S rRNA was developed allowing the simultaneous detection of the 10 species and 3 genotypes of Trichinella present in meat tissues. The detection limit employing dilutions of genomic DNA was 2 pg and the determination of the detection limt in terms of ppm was 1 ppm. The main novelty of this work lies in the fact that it can assure the absence of 10 species and 3 genotypes of Trichinella in an only assay. The proposed methodology is rapid, robust, highly sensitive and readily adaptable in routine molecular diagnostic laboratories, and can be employed as molecular screening method in order to assess the food security.