A Real Time PCR/SYBR Green I method for the rapid quantification of Salmonella enterica in poultry meat

It has been developed a method for quantitative detection of Salmonella enterica in poultry meat based on real-time PCR (qtPCR) with species-specific primers and SYBR® GreenER™ chemistry. Two methods for bacterial DNA extraction were compared: one based on a commercial kit (AccuPrep®) and the other on silica–magnetite nanoparticles. Primers were designed on sequence of invA gene encoding for an inner membrane protein associated with invasiveness of Salmonella. Serial dilutions of DNA from pure cultures of Salmonella and from broiler breast samples spiked with serial dilutions of Salmonella were analyzed in different replicates and with different PCR equipments. Robustness of the method was evaluated and compared in terms of repeatability, reproducibility, and consistency with conventional plate count methods and for applicability to the different equipments. The matrix effect upon each reaction specificity was assessed with addition of DNA from a noncompetitive internal amplification control. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined between 10 and 40 colony-forming units (CFUs)/ml; whereas, the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 102 CFUs/ml. Quantification with qtPCR was in the same order of magnitude as enumeration with plate counting but with an overestimation