We further tested S3I-201 mw the PMA-qPCR assay for detection of DNA from live Salmonella cells in the presence of a large number of dead cells from spiked spinach samples (Figure 3B). The samples inoculated

with 3 × 101, 3 × 102, and 3 × 103 CFU/g of cells without (0-h) enrichment generated C T values of 25.94, 26.89, and 26.29 without PMA treatment but three samples after PMA treatment yielded C T values all >35, indicating that the positive readings were due to the presence of a large number of dead cells. With 4-h enrichment, the sample with 3 × 102 CFU/g of cells was positive for Salmonella with C T values of 29.85 or 26.89 with or without PMA treatment (Figure 3B II). Similar trends were found in the samples inoculated with 3 × 103 (Figure 3B I), 3 × 101 (Figure 3B III). A downward trend in C T values was seen as a function of time. These results indicated the incapability of PCR alone to differentiate DNA from live and dead cells and the necessity for PMA treatment before DNA extraction. Similar results were obtained with spiked beef samples. The beef samples inoculated with 30 CFU/g of cells were detected Salmonella after

4-h enrichment with C T values of 32.81. (Additional file 2: Table S2). Together, these results confirmed that this PMA-qPCR assay selectively detected 30 CFU/g live Salmonella cells from spiked spinach samples after 4-h enrichment (Figure 3B). Discussion In spite of the fact that

there are numerous DNA-based molecular methods available for detection of Salmonella, there is still room for improvement TGF-beta inhibitor in qPCR assays to detect live Salmonella cells from foods and environment samples. To our knowledge, this is a first new qPCR assay for selectively detect live Salmonella cells that has been validated with such a comprehensive coverage of the Salmonella group, including strains of SARA (n = 72) and SARB (n = 72) collections and strains of recent outbreaks (n = 23). Furthermore, this assay is DAPT in vivo highly sensitive and specific for the detection of live Salmonella cells, and PMA-treatment is able to efficiently inhibit the DNA amplification from dead cells but has little effect on the DNA amplification from live cells. We chose the invA gene, the invasive gene in Salmonella, as a target gene in the qPCR assay for several selleck compound reasons: first, the invA gene is an important virulence factor gene [26] and is considered present in all Salmonella spp. [27, 28]; second, currently, most molecular-based assays for the detection of Salmonella are invA-based, especially for conventional PCR and qPCR assays; and third, the invA-based PCR assays have demonstrated inclusivity for a wide range of Salmonella serotypes including all subspecies and exclusivity for other closely related species and genera [29].