Development of NASBA, a nucleic acid amplification system, for identification of Listeria monocytogenes and comparison to ELISA and a modified FDA method.

NASBA, an isothermal nucleic acid amplification system was used for identification of Listeria monocytogenes. A primer set and a species-specific probe were selected from the 16S rRNA sequence. The probe was shown to hybridize specifically to the amplified single-stranded RNA of L. monocytogenes. No hybridization occurred with amplification product of L. seeligeri, L. innocua, L. ivanovii, and L. welshimeri. Detection sensitivity for the NASBA assay was determined at 10(6) cfu/ml. The possibility of using the NASBA assay for detection of L. monocytogenes in foods after a 2-day enrichment procedure was explored. NASBA was compared to a modified FDA method and ELISA for detection of L. monocytogenes artificially inoculated (1-100 cfu/25 g) in eight food products. False-negative results were obtained with the modified FDA method (6.75%). NASBA and ELISA were shown in this study to detect the pathogen with equal efficiency (no false negative or false positive results). Both methods allowed detection of less than 10 cfu/25 g within 3 days but ELISA can only be used for diagnosis of Listeria spp. while the NASBA procedure permitted specific identification of the human pathogen L. monocytogenes.