System uses real-time PCR combined with genetic markers and software to process samples within 24 to 48 hours rather than the five to seven days taken by traditional microbiology tests
The leading international authority on the validation of laboratory testing methods, AOAC, has granted Performance Tested status to the Warnex Genevision food safety tests for the detection of listeria monocytogenes, listeria species, and salmonella spp.
The tests, together with the AOAC-validated E coli O157 and E coli O157: H7 kits, are available in the UK exclusively from microbiology company Don Whitley Scientific. With a wide range of contract and consultancy services embracing all aspects of antimicrobial development programmes, including efficacy, safety and clinical trial studies, Don Whitley says it is well placed to promote and develop the Genevision tests in the UK.
Offering a versatile DNA detection platform, the Genevision system uses real-time PCR technology combined with unique genetic markers and software.
Time-saving and economical, it processes samples within 24 to 48 hours, providing a significant advantage over the five to seven days taken by traditional microbiology tests.
The listeria tests rapidly and accurately identify simultaneously the presence in food samples of multiple, harmful pathogens.
Unlike most detection kits that check specifically for L monocytogenes, the Genevision tests can identify not only this bacterium but also the presence of any other listeria species. Although salmonella testing is the single largest pathogen screening undertaken in the food industry, in the United States alone the estimated annual figure for salmonella-related infections is 1.4 million.
The Genevision test, with its rapid and accurate performance, is set to become an invaluable tool in its earlier detection, says the company.
