Development of a 6 Plex PCR for Simultaneous Detection of Salmonella Enteritidis and Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157

Salmonella enterica Enteritidis and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 are important pathogens that could contaminate food or drinking water. A 6-plex PCR assay was developed to achieve an effective detection and identification of them. After thorough optimization of amplification system, the multiplex PCR assay could specifically and sensitively detect and identify target pathogens. The limits in were approximately 48 and 52 genomic DNA copies from S. enterica Enteritidis ATCC 13076 and E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895, respectively. The 6-plex PCR assay is a rapid and reliable method, and have a great potential in effectively screening single or multiple pathogens occurrences in various food or environmental samples.