Comparison of Roka Atlas® System Performance and Health Canada Reference Method for Listeria Detection From Plastic,...

Area of Science:

• Food safety and public health microbiology
• Rapid diagnostic methods for microbial detection

Background:

• High demand for automated, high-volume sample processing methods in the food industry and public health.
• Need for rapid and reliable pathogen detection to ensure food safety and public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the Roka Atlas® System for detecting Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes.
• To compare the Roka Atlas System with a Health Canada reference method on plastic, sealed concrete, and stainless-steel surfaces.

Main Methods:

• An unpaired study design was used to compare the Roka Atlas System with the Health Canada reference method (MFHPB-30).
• The Roka Atlas assay was tested with R2 medium pre-enrichment for 14, 16, and 24 hours at 35°C.
• Inoculation of surfaces (plastic, sealed concrete, stainless-steel) with Listeria species, including competing microorganisms.

Main Results:

• The Roka Atlas System demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity across all tested surfaces and enrichment times.
• No false negatives or false positives were observed for the Roka Atlas System.
• Detection of true positives was comparable to the reference method across different surface types and inoculation levels.

Conclusions:

• The Roka Atlas System provides a reliable and accurate method for Listeria detection on various surfaces.
• The system achieved comparable detection probabilities to the reference method, even with a reduced enrichment time of 14 hours.
• Surface type did not impact the assay's sensitivity or specificity, highlighting its versatility.