PEPTIDE NUCLEIC ACID PROBE, KIT AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AND/OR QUANTIFYING ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 AND RESPECTIVE USES

摘要

The present invention relates to the development of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe for detecting Escherichia coli, O157:H7 serotype, in various types of samples. PNA is a synthetic molecule analogous to the DNA molecule which, owing to its physico-chemical properties, allows for faster and more sensitive analysis than DNA probes. These probes are combined with fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), a molecular biology technique that allows microorganisms to be viewed directly in the sample. The combination of these two techniques allowed a faster, simpler and more efficient FISH process to be developed. This test can be applied to a large variety of samples, such as foodstuffs, blood, biopsies, faeces, water and other clinical samples, and samples from the environment, the agricultural and foodstuff industries. The present invention also includes the development of the detection kit and corresponding method for identifying E. coli O157:H7 using the above-mentioned types of samples.