Polyester Cloth-Based Hybridization Array System for Identification of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157

A cloth-based hybridization array system (CHAS) was developed for the identification of foodborne colony isolates of seven priority enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC-7) serogroups targeted by U.S. food inspection programs. Gene sequences associated with intimin; Shiga-like toxins 1 and 2; and the antigenic markers O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157 were amplified in a multiplex PCR incorporating a digoxigenin label, and detected by hybridization of the PCR products with an array of specific oligonucleotide probes immobilized on a polyester cloth support, with subsequent immunoenzymatic assay of the captured amplicons. The EHEC-7 CHAS exhibited 100% inclusivity and 100% exclusivity characteristics with respect to detection of the various markers among 89 different E. coli strains, with various marker gene profiles and 15 different strains of non-E. coli bacteria.