A solid phase fluorescent capillary immunoassay for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef and apple cider.

A solid phase fluorescence-based immunoassay was developed for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using an antigen down competition format. A soft glass capillary tube served as the solid support, to which heat-killed E. coli O157:H7 were adsorbed. Polyclonal anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody, conjugated with biotin, was used and the bound antigen-antibody complex was detected using avidin molecules labelled with Cy5, a fluorescent cyanine dye. Any E. coli O157:H7 in the sample would compete with the formation of this complex, reducing fluorescence. This assay was tested for sensitivity with spiked ground beef and apple cider samples. The minimum detectable number of cells present in the initial inoculum was calculated to be approximately 1 colony-forming unit (cfu) per 10 g of ground beef when samples were enriched in modified EC broth for 7 h at 37 degrees C. The minimum detectable number of cells for the apple cider samples was calculated to be approximately 0.5 cfu ml-1. The E. coli cells in the cider samples were captured with immunomagnetic beads, incubated for 7 h in the enrichment broth, and detected with the solid phase fluorescence immunoassay.