A sensitive method for specific detection of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells, including viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells, in water samples was developed. This method involved capture of the bacterial cells on a lowprotein-binding membrane and direct extraction and purification of RNA followed by reverse transcription-PCR and electronic microarray detection of the rfbE and fliC genes of E. coli O157:H7. It detected as few as 1 CFU of E. coli O157:H7 in diluted cultures, 3 to 4 CFU/liter in tap water, 7 CFU/liter in river water, and 50 VBNC cells in 1 liter of river water, demonstrating the best limit of detection reported to date for VBNC cells in environmental water samples.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.