STEC
Comparison of real-time PCR assay with our digital PCR assay for the detection of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Strains carrying stx (Shiga-toxin) and eae (intimin) genes inside one cell are highly pathogenic. The current DNA-based assay cannot distinguish whether the stx and eae signals are from the same cell or two other cells, causing false-positive test results.
The new assay analyzes each cell individually. Therefore, it can distinguish between cells with only one or both gene markers. Thus, it eliminates all false-positive results and enables the identification of all highly pathogenic E. coli strains. If only eae or stx, the outcome is weakly pathogenic. However, if both eae and stx are present, the outcome is highly pathogenic.
Conclusion