Identification of bacteria Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus from meat samples through multiplex PCR

Food-borne microbes e.g. bacteria are causing serious diseases and even leading death in many developed and under developing countries by spending billions of dollars in medical treatment and socio-economic cost. Polluted and defiled raw meats are the most common reasons which lead to food-borne diseases. The aim of this research was to identify the most common food-borne bacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus by the development of a multiplex PCR. The bacterial cells were cultured on Petri dishes taken from meat samples. The DNA was extracted by following an optimized bacterial DNA extraction protocol. The multiplex PCR was optimized by amplifying the DNA with species-specific designed primers. Further sensitivity of PCR was done by evaluating the identified DNA of all bacterial species by diluting the DNA up to 0.01 ng. The results showed that the developed PCR worked successfully. This study was a preliminary work and further studies will be needed to investigate the level of contamination. Keywords: Bacterial culture, DNA extraction, Multiplex PCR, Identification.