DuPont Qualicon introduced the BAX System STEC Suite, three real-time PCR assays that enable food processors and labs to detect the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, most frequently associated with severe foodborne illness in the U.S.
The BAX System screening assay detects a combination of virulence genes, called stx and eae, to clear negative samples in the production line. Two multiplex panel assays can determine which of the top six non-O157 STEC serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145) are present in positive samples, the company says.
