Contamination by Escherichia coli O157:H7 is considered a threat in the livestock and food industries. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods for the convenient and rapid detection of Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7. This study aimed to develop a colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (cLAMP) assay using a molecular beacon to rapidly detect E. coli O157:H7. Primers and a molecular beacon were designed for targeting the Shiga-toxin-producing virulence genes (stx1 and stx2) as molecular markers. Additionally, Bst polymerase concentration and amplification conditions for bacterial detection were optimized. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were also investigated and validated on artificially tainted (100-104 CFU/g) Korean beef samples. The cLAMP assay could detect 1 × 101 CFU/g at 65 °C for both genes, and the assay was confirmed to be specific for E. coli O157:H7. The cLAMP takes about an hour and does not require expensive devices (e.g., thermal cycler and detector). Hence, the cLAMP assay proposed herein can be used in the meat industry as a fast and simple way to detect E. coli O157:H7.
Keywords: Colorimetric LAMP; Escherichia coli O157:H7; Food safety; Korean beef; Meat industry.
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