BioControl Systems Assurance GDS Cronobacter test

Cronobacter, also known as Enterobacter, is an opportunistic pathogenic bacteria responsible for foodborne illness. Cronobacter is able to survive in desiccated states for extended periods of time, which means that it can be a problem in powdered dairy products.

As Cronobacter is known to cause severe complications in infants, such as sepsis, enterocolitis and meningitis, it is important to screen for this organism in infant formulas. Traditional methods for detection include culturing, which can take 3–5 days and involves multiple steps and a high degree of expertise.

The Assurance GDS (Genetic Detection System) offers a Cronobacter species result in 26 h for infant formula, powdered milk and environmental samples. The GDS is a highly sensitive, highly specific PCR platform for pathogen screening. The method for Cronobacter is a simple one-step enrichment, followed by amplification and detection in the thermal cycler.

The system is suitable for use in most processing plants and laboratories.

Originally published here.