Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that causes a disease known as listeriosis, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women. Infection with L. monocytogenes may also result in stillbirths, abortions and premature deliveries, as well as meningitis, septicaemia, encephalitis, and meningoencephalitis. Conventional detection methods of these bacteria are time-consuming; therefore, rapid alternative methods, including those based on molecular tests are needed. PCR is sensitive and specific; however, it requires the use of an agarose gel, which increases the time of analysis. A technique that allows the elimination of this step is real-time PCR, which enables the quantitative determination of L. monocytogenes in foods. A modification of PCR is multiplex PCR that allows detection of several genes at the same time and distinguishes between different species of microorganisms. Techniques such as RT-PCR or NASBA, where the target molecule is RNA, are used to detect viable cells and also allow quantitative analyses to be performed. Another rapid and specific method is LAMP, which can be performed in one hour in a water bath or heating block, without the use of a thermocycler. Biosensors and microarrays are examples of new technologies that due to the possibility to use anywhere and immediate interpretation of the results can be routinely used in the future for identification of L. monocytogenes in food.
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