• Toxicological Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2004

The different social reflections about the benefits and the potential risks of genetically modified (GM) crops have evolved with .different reactions in different countries. Many countries including Korea are working toward setting down new guidelines. Korea requires companies to label all food that contains more than 3% GM ingredients. One of the rapid and convenient detection methods of GM ingredients is amplification of the introduced DNAs by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Many PCR kits for this purpose are commercially available. The objective of this study was to evaluate performance of commercialized GM crop detection kits. The results showed that 6 out of 15 kits tested did not meet the requirements even purposed by the manufacturers themselves in terms of stability, reproducibility, and detection limits, suggesting a potential quality control problem in their design stage or production line. The evaluation also suggests that, although the duplex and triplex detection kits allowed unambiguous detection in a single PCR reaction, the monoplex detection kits were the most sensitive to the detection of GM ingredients. The detection limits also differ between soybean and corn. Results from this study will be useful in the development of sound qualitative tracking systems of GM ingredients for monitoring throughout the cultivation of GM crops, their trans-boundary movement, and food production using GM grains as well as for complying with government guidelines associated with GM crops.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.575-580
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• 2019

In biological warfare, it is important to identify biological agents for proper treatment. We focused on developing a real-time RT-PCR kit that can detect multiple species of biological agents. AccuPower(R) Biothreat Real-Time RT-PCR Kit(v3.0) could detect Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, Vibrio cholerae, Francisella tularensis, Salmonella typhi, Rickettsia prowazekii, Variola virus, Hantaan virus, Yellow fever virus, Brucella spp., Shigella dysenteriae in a single reaction. The results showed that the kit was verified to be able to detect at least 0.005 ng of nucleotide and 10,000 CFU/ml of bacteria. Therefore, the kit is expected to be used as a rapid and sensitive detection kit for 11 species of biological agents within 2 hours.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.262-271
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• 2023

The objective of this study is to compare and assess the effectiveness of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and the selective agar plate method for the detection of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. In RTE foods, the detection performance of the three methods (RT-PCR [SureTect^TM kit and PowerChek^TM kit], LAMP [3M MDS], selective agar) were similar at 0-10, 10-50, 50-100, and 100- CFU/mL of Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes. We found that with RT-PCR, the Ct value of salad was significantly higher (p<0.05) than other RTE foods, indicating that fiber plays a critical role as an obstacle to the rapid detection of Salmonella spp. However, the Ct value displayed a mixed pattern according to the inoculation level of L. monocytogenes. The use of rapid detection kits and machines mostly depends on the user's choice, with accuracy, ease of use, and economy being the primary considerations. As an RT-PCR kit, SureTect^TM and PowerChek^TM showed high accuracy in detecting Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes in RTE foods, showing that they can replace the existing RT-PCR kits available. Additionally, LAMP also showed excellent detection performance, suggesting that it has the potential to be used as a food safety management tool.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2016

A variety of Y-STR analysis kits have been developed and used in the forensic field. Prior to the forensic application of a new kit, laboratory validation and sensitivity tests are essential processes in selecting suitable alternatives and for assuring that standard operating procedures are followed. In this paper, we have performed a sensitivity study of a new commercial kit, the Yfiler^® PLUS PCR Amplification Kit (Yfiler plus kit, released in 2014) by comparing it with the AmpF/STR^® Yfiler^TM PCR Amplification Kit (Yfiler kit, released in 2004). The Yfiler plus kit includes the 17 Y-STR loci of the Yfiler kit and has been supplemented with 10 new Y-STR loci. First, we analyzed the sensitivity difference between the two kits using commercial control DNA 2800M and 007. In addition, we compared the detection rate between the two kits from the 16 selected forensic casework samples of less than 0.5 ng concentrations. The results show that the sensitivity and detection rate of the Yfiler plus kit are higher than the corresponding rates of the Yfiler kit. In addition, we were able to obtain more Y-STR profiles with the use of the new kit. Thus, we suggest that Yfiler plus kit is a more effective forensic tool to detect Y-STR profiles from forensic casework samples of low concentrations.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.93-99
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• 2021

This study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of different sample preparation (stomaching, pulsifying, and sonication) and DNA extraction methods (boiling and commercial kit) for detection of enterotoxin-producing Clostridium perfringens from produce by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Each produce type was inoculated at concentrations of 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, and 107 spores/g. Produce inoculated with spores was treated with three sample preparation methods, and DNA was extracted by boiling method and a commercial kit, followed by PCR. The detection limit of stomached samples was lower than that of pummeled and sonicated samples by 10-100 times. Moreover, the DNA extraction efficiency of the commercial kit was found to be superior to that of boiling. In particular, the PCR efficiency of cherry tomato and perilla leaf samples was greatly affected by sample preparation and DNA extraction method. These data suggest that DNA extraction with a commercial kit after pulsification is an optimum sample preparation method for detection of C. perfringens by PCR.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.549-557
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• 2019

Staphylococcal enterotoxin is a very common cause of food poisoning. Conventional detection methods for the toxin including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), chemiluminescence (ECL), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays require a lot of time, efforts, and expert technicians. Lateral flow strip kits have shown great potential for the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens. The lateral flow strip kit is widely used in clinical settings because it is easy to use, fast, and cost effective. A typical lateral flow strip kit uses colloidal gold to generate a visual signal. However, the lateral flow strip kit based on colloidal gold has limited sensitivity to fulfill food safety regulation requirements. This study was performed to develop a rapid test kit for pathogenic staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in food samples. The rapid detection kit was fabricated based on a nitrocellulose lateral-flow strip. Cellulose nano beads and SEB antibodies were used as the tag and receptor, respectively, to improve the detection performance. Manually spotted SEB antibody and anti-rabbit antibody on the surface of the nitrocellulose membrane were used as test and control spots, respectively. The feasibility of the rapid test kit to detect SEB in samples was evaluated. The sensitivity of the kit was 10 ng/mL SEB spiked in PBS. Additionally, the rapid test kit could detect 1 ng/mL of SEB in chicken meat extract.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.335-340
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• 2016

This study was conducted to find out the most suitable DNA isolation methods for PCR detection of foodborne pathogens. Four DNA isolation methods including Universal Genomic DNA Extraction Kit (TaKaRa), PrepMan Ultra (Applied Biosystems), boiling method and alkaline lysis method (w/PEG) were tested and compared. The Universal Genomic DNA Extraction kit (TaKaRa) was considered as the more efficient isolation method for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus in lettuce, fish and beef. Meanwhile to detect the foodborne pathogens directly from foods without enrichment, the four different buffers such as double-distilled water, saline, glycine-saline, glycine-saline with Tween-20 and beef extract were also evaluated. As a result, saline was more suitable buffer for E. coli O157:H7. And double-distilled water was more suitable buffer than saline for S. aureus, respectively

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2014

In this study, two commercial PCR and ELISA test kits were examined for identification of eight animal species (beef, pork, chicken, duck, turkey, goat, lamb, and horse) from raw meat and meat products in Korea. The detection limit in RAW meat ELISA kit$^{(R)}$ on three types of meat samples blended with beef, pork and chicken, demonstrated that all meat species were differentiable down to 0.2%. RAW meat ELISA kit$^{(R)}$ on animal species resulted in differentiation rate of 94.5% for beef, 93.3% for pork, 90% for lamb, and 100% for chicken, duck, turkey, goat, and horse. In contrast, Powercheck Animal Species ID PCR kit$^{TM}$ resulted in 100% specificity at 0.05% limit of detection for all meat species. The detection limit of Cooked Meat ELISA kit$^{(R)}$ on mixed meat samples heat-treated with different temperatures and times, resulted in 0.1% for all heat-treated mixed meat except for chicken at 1.0%. Additionally, ELISA kit on sixty meat products resulted in specificity of 31.8% for ham, 13.6% for sausages, and 12.5% for ground processed products, and relatively low rate for more than 2 types of mixed meats. On the contrary, meat species differentiation using PCR kit showed higher percentage than that using ELISA kit$^{(R)}$: 50.0% for ham, 41.7% for sausages, and 28.6% for ground processed meat. Futhermore, PCR kit on 54 dried beef meats detected pork genes in 13 products whereas ELISA kit showed negative results for all products. Hence, the possibility of cross-contamination during manufacturing process was investigated, and it was found that identical tumblers, straining trays, cutters and dryers were used in both beef and pork jerky production line, suggesting the inclusion of pork genes in beef products due to cross-contamination. In this study, PCR and ELISA test kits were found to be excellent methods for meat species differentiation in raw meat and heat-processed mixed meat. However, lower differentiation rate demonstrated in case of meat processed products raised the possibility of inclusion of other species due to cross-contamination during manufacturing process.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2018

Canine coronavirus is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes enteritis in dogs of any age. Coronaviral enteritis is seldom definitively diagnosed, since it is usually much less severe than many other types of enteritis and is self-limiting. Conventional diagnostics for the canine coronaviral enteritis such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), virus isolation, and electron microscopic examination are inappropriate for small animal clinics due to the complicated experimental processes involved. Therefore, a commercially available lateral flow test kit based on chromatographic immunoassay techniques was tested to evaluate its performance as a first-line diagnostic test kit that could be used in clinics. The coronavirus antigen test kit detected canine coronavirus-infected dogs with 93.1% sensitivity and 97.5% specificity. The detection limit of the test kit was between $1.97{\times}10^4/mL$ and $9.85{\times}10^3/mL$ for samples with a 2-fold serial dilution from $1.25{\times}10^6\;TCID_{50}$ ($TCID_{50}$, 50% tissue culture infectious dose). Additionally, the test kit had no cross-reactivity with canine parvovirus, distemper virus, or Escherichia coli. Overall, the commercially available test kit showed good diagnostic performance in a clinical setting, with results similar to those from PCR, confirming their potential for convenient and accurate use in small animal clinics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.377-381
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• 2014

Microscopy is considered as the gold standard for malaria diagnosis although its wide application is limited by the requirement of highly experienced microscopists. PCR and serological tests provide efficient diagnostic performance and have been applied for malaria diagnosis and research. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of nested PCR and a recently developed an ELISA-based new rapid diagnosis test (RDT), NovaLisa test kit, for diagnosis of malaria infection, using microscopic method as the gold standard. The performance of nested-PCR as a malaria diagnostic tool is excellent with respect to its high accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and ability to discriminate Plasmodium species. The sensitivity and specificity of nested-PCR compared with the microscopic method for detection of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, and P. falciparum/P. vivax mixed infection were 71.4 vs 100%, 100 vs 98.7%, and 100 vs 95.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA-based NovaLisa test kit compared with the microscopic method for detection of Plasmodium genus were 89.0 vs 91.6%, respectively. NovaLisa test kit provided comparable diagnostic performance. Its relatively low cost, simplicity, and rapidity enables large scale field application.