Use of the EiaFoss analyser - Rapid detection of E. coli O157 from raw meat

EHEC continues to cause severe food poisoning outbreaks. Therefore, fast an d reliable examination of food especially from ruminant source for E. coli O157 is of great public interest. The conventional examiation method for E. coli O157 in food (DIN 10167) is cumbersome and time consuming. In this st udy good results could be achieved within one day using an automated Elisa system. In this study, a total of 186 samples was examined for the presence of E. coli O157 by conventional and automated Elisa method, in parallel. A ll 186 samples based on raw minced meat (pork and beef mix), 61 of which we re native. 60 of the native minced meat samples were E. coli O157 negative according to both methods. One native sample (1.6%) was detected positive b y the EiaFoss but negative by the conventional method. Therefore, this resu lt was judged as false-positive. All 125 spiked samples were detected posit ive by the EiaFoss anlyser within ca. 2 h after the overnight enrichment. S ensitivity of the EiaFoss method was 100%. The system reliably detects E. c oli O157 provided that the colony count after enrichment is equal or above 10(5) cfu/ml. Summarizing, the EiaFoss Analyzer is suitable for screening r aw meat for the presence of E. coli O157 as it allows a high sample through put with good sensitivity and specificity.