Abstract: A rapid, accurate and sensitive method for simultaneous detection of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae and Listeria monocytogenes was developed by using DNA microarray coupled with multiplex PCR. Six pairs of primers and oligo-nucleotide probes were designed and synthesized by using the Slt gene of Escherichia coli, the invA gene of Salmonella spp, the nuc gene of Staphylococcus aureus, the ipaH gene of Shigella dysenteriae and the inlA gene of Listeria monocytogenes as target genes, and 16S rDNA of bacteria as positive control. The multiplex PCR products were hybridized with DNA microarray containing specific probes for five food-borne pathogenic microorganisms. DNA microarray could allow simultaneous detection of five specific pathogens with detection limit of 2 pg, which was more sensitive than multiplex PCR with detection limit of 20 pg. Similarly, the application of DNA microarrary in the detection of actual meat and meat products revealed higher accuracy than traditional culture method. Therefore, DNA microarray provides a specific, sensitive and promising approach for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms.

Key words: meat and meat products, multiplex PCR, pathogens, DNA chip