Detection of Vibrio cholerae in street food (satar and otak-otak) by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (mPCR) and plating methods

This goal of this study was to investigate the presence of Vibrio cholerae in street food, namely satar and otak-otak, using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (mPCR) and conventional plating on Thiosulphate Citrate Bile-Salt Sucrose (TCBS) agar methods. A total of 78 satar and 35 otak-otak were purchased from different districts of Terengganu (Besut, Setiu, Kuala Terengganu and Kemaman). V. cholerae was found in satar with LAMP (10.3%), mPCR (10.3%) and plating (0%). No V. cholerae was found in otak-otak using the three methods. This might be due to V. cholerae able to survive in satar after grilling due to its thickness which may contribute to undercooking. This study concluded that low presence of V. cholerae in satar and otak-otak can be detected by molecular methods but not the conventional plating method. LAMP assay is a useful tool for rapid detection of pathogens in food due to its simplicity, highly sensitive and visual interpretation capability. Though the prevalence of V. cholerae was low in the samples, proper handling of this food will help in reducing the risk of acquiring infection from V. cholerae in contaminated samples