Plesiomonas shigelloides: Detection by PCR

Plesiomonas shigelloides is a micro-organism involved in gastroenteritis infections and food poisoning. Because there is a lack of specific and sensitive methods of detection and identification of this bacterium in clinical diagnostic laboratories, the pathogen has usually been overlooked. This chapter describes a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for identification of this potential food-borne pathogen. For the diagnostic purposes, two primers were designed targeting part of the 23S rRNA gene. The method is robust and easily performed in a standard laboratory equipped with a thermocycler, microcentrifuge, and agarose gel electrophoresis equipment. Applying this protocol, we could prove that PCR method is a suitable tool for a rapid and sensitive identification of P. shigelloides from different environmental and clinical samples.