A PCR assay for the DuPont Qualicon BAX system which detects Enterobacter sakazakii in infant formula, dry dairy and soy ingredients is now available from Oxoid in Europe and Australia.
The US Food and Drug Administration has identified Enterobacter sakazakii as an emerging food-borne pathogen that can cause sepsis, meningitis, or necrotising enterocolitis in newborn infants, particularly premature infants or other infants with weakened immune systems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Enterobacter sakazakii is a rare cause of invasive disease in newborns but in cases where meningitis occurs, severe neurologic complications are common and death occurs in 3380percent of cases.
The FDA reports that over the last several years, investigations of several outbreaks of Enterobacter sakazakii infection occurring in neonatal intensive care units worldwide have shown the outbreak to be associated with milk-based powdered infant formulas. Since powdered formulas are not sterile products, they could contain opportunistic bacteria, such as Enterobacter sakazakii.
DuPont Qualicon collaborated with the Nestlé Research Centers in Switzerland and the United States to develop a PCR-based assay for rapid detection of Enterobacter sakazakii in food and environmental samples. The new BAX system test provides reliable next-day results, even on samples with low levels of contamination.
The BAX system is a breakthrough screening method that provides reliable, DNA-based detection of target bacteria in raw ingredients, finished food products and environmental samples. The automated system, which takes little space and looks like a desktop computer, has been available since November 2000. Hundreds of BAX systems already are in use by governments, food companies and laboratories around the world for the detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria spp and E.coliO157:H7.
For more information, visit www.oxoid.com
