Comparative Evaluation of Rapiblot Escherichia coli O157 Using Stored Strains.

Rapiblot E. coli O157 is based on the use of anti-E. coli O157 antibody-coated Polymacron, as a high-surface-area immunoadsorbent for rapid capture and subsequent immunoenzyme detection of E. coli O157 antigens extracted from test samples by heating at 100°C for 10 minutes.Atotal of 24 non-E. coli O157 strains and various gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria tested gave negative results.The detection limit of Rapiblot E. coli O157 was 105cfu/ml in assays of E. coli O157 strains in broth suspension prepared by the spread plate method.This highly specific and sensitive selective antibody procedure was 98% effective when tested against IMS using ground beef and radish sprouts.The results obtained by Rapiblot E. coli O157 were the same or better than those of other commercial kits to detect E. coli O157.Rapiblot E. coli O157 was therefore considered effective for the detection of E. coliO157 in food.