Applicability of the PCR technique in the food testing laboratory: Identification of Listeria monocytogenes

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting Listeria monocytogenes-specific hlyA gene sequences was evaluated as a tool for the identification of presumptive positive colonies isolated on Palcam or Oxford agar during routine analysis of food samples by culture technique. The PCR correctly identified L. monocytogenes isolates from a large number of samples, and provided a significant saving in the time, labour and cost compared to the traditional biochemical tests.