Microbial Detection and Identification

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to microbial detection, identification, and typing methods in food safety.

Detection

Finding, discovering, and quantifying microbes.

Identification

Naming and classifying microbes, often involving confirmation steps.

Foodborne Disease Detection

Identifying pathogens causing illness.

Quality Control in Microbe Detection

Monitoring indicator organisms (e.g., E. coli).

Hierarchy of Microbial Classification

Family, genus, species, and strain.

Enterobacteriaceae

A family of bacteria that includes Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, and Yersinia.

Plating

A culture-based method involving spread/pour plates with long incubation.

Enrichment

Growing microbes in low concentrations before plating; doesn't quantify original sample.

Selective Media

Media that inhibits unwanted microbes (e.g., BP for S. aureus).

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A molecular method that amplifies DNA exponentially for species identification or confirming pathogens.

DNA Probes

Molecular tools that hybridize with target DNA.

Agglutination

An immunological method where antibodies bind to microbial surface structures, causing clumping.

Immunocapture

Concentrating microbes using magnetic beads.

Serotyping

A phenotypic typing method.

PFGE (Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis)

A genotypic typing method.

Specificity

Avoiding false positives in method selection.

Sensitivity

Avoiding false negatives in method selection.

MALDI/TOF MS

Rapid identification using mass spectrometry.

Whole-Genome Sequencing

Future gold standard for microbial typing.

Method Combination

Combining methods (e.g., enrichment + PCR) for accuracy.

Outbreak Investigations

Serotyping and genotyping are critical for these investigations.