AUTHOR=Song Xinjie , Shukla Shruti , Lee Gibaek , Park Sunhyun , Kim Myunghee 

TITLE=Detection of Cronobacter Genus in Powdered Infant Formula by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay Using Anti-Cronobacter Antibody

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01124

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.01124

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Cronobacter</italic> species (<italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp.) are hazardous foodborne pathogens associated with baby food, powdered infant formula (PIF). To develop a rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous detection of seven <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. in PIF, an indirect non-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (INC-ELISA) was developed based on a novel immunoglobulin G (IgG), anti-<italic>Cronobacter</italic> IgG. The developed INC-ELISA was able to detect seven <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. at concentrations ranging from (5.6 ± 0.30) × 10<sup>3</sup> to (2.1 ± 0.01) × 10<sup>5</sup> colony forming unit (CFU)/mL in pure culture. Further, INC-ELISA employing anti-<italic>Cronobacter</italic> IgG was applicable for analysis of PIF samples contaminated with less than &lt;10 cells of <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. per 25 g of PIF in 36 h. The developed antibody showed slight cross-reactivity with <italic>Franconibacter pulveris</italic> (LMG 24057) at high concentration (10<sup>8</sup> CFU/mL). The INC-ELISA method displayed excellent specificity without compromising cross-reactivity with other foodborne pathogens. The INC-ELISA assay method developed in this study using a novel anti-<italic>Cronobacter</italic> IgG facilitated highly sensitive, efficient, and rapid detection of <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. in baby food.</p>