Comparison of detection methods for Escherichia coli O157 in beef livers and carcasses

Beef organ meat, such as liver, and beef are major food sources contaminated with Escherichia coli O157. This study investigated the detection method of E. coli O157 in beef liver and carcass. In an experiment with beef liver inoculated with E. coli O157, the direct plating method, plating after the immunomagnetic separation (IMS) method, and Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli detection and E. coli O157 detection loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays were compared for the detection of Stx-producing E. coli O157. Fifty percent and 45% of samples were positive by Stx-producing E. coli detection LAMP assay and E. coli O157 detection LAMP assay, respectively. Thirty-five percent and 10% of samples were positive by the IMS method and direct plating method, respectively. In an examination of beef swab samples, contamination frequencies with E. coli O157 were analyzed by LAMP assays and the IMS method. E. coli O157 was detected in 12 of 230 samples (5.2%). There was no sample positive for E. coli O157 isolation but negative for LAMP assays for Stx gene and O157 antigen gene. Four samples (1.7%) were positive by both LAMP assays but negative by the IMS method. The result that there was no sample positive for the O157 antigen gene, but not the Stx gene, indicated that the IMS method failed to detect E. coli O157. Twenty-nine samples (12.6%) were positive for the Stx gene but not the O157 antigen gene. The results indicated that screening of Stx gene and O157 antigen gene by LAMP assays is effective in saving time and effort to isolate E. coli O157 by the IMS method because the LAMP assay is more sensitive. This suggested that samples positive for Stx gene and O157 antigen gene should be examined by the IMS method to isolate E. coli O157.