A comparative analysis of quantitative detection methods for viable food-borne pathogens using RT-qPCR and PMA-qPCR

Abstract The accurate quantification of viable pathogens in food is crucial for ensuring food safety. This study mainly aimed to investigate the quantification of viable pathogens using PMA-qPCR and RT-qPCR, taking into account bacterial species, food matrices, and inactivation methods. The detection limit of PMA-qPCR for Salmonella serovars in simple matrices, such as culture broth, lake, or tap water, was found to be 102 cells per ml. Regarding the detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in culture broth, as well as Salmonella in more complex matrices, such as juices and lab-made broth, both methods exhibited a detection limit of 103 cells per ml. Besides that, in adverse situations, there was a risk of overestimating the number of viable pathogens using PMA-qPCR. In addition, a conspicuous discrepancy between the results of PMA-qPCR/RT-qPCR and those of the plate counting assay was observed when Salmonella was exposed to isopropanol, H2O2, NaClO, sonication, or thermosonication. This suggests that it may survive in a viable but non-culturable state and poses a challenge for accurate quantification of viable cells using plate counting assay. Therefore, the results obtained by RT-qPCR were more objective compared to PMA-qPCR due to potential influences from bacteria species, surrounding media, and inactivation methods.