Researchers have created a new method for detecting the zoonotic organism Escherichia albertii using quantitative real-time PCR. Their findings show that E. albertii can survive in the human intestinal tract for at least four weeks. This novel real-time PCR method could potentially be used as a diagnostic tool for identifying the bacterium responsible for food poisoning outbreaks. The prevalence of pathogenic E. coli has led to the frequent misidentification of E. albertii, which is an emerging zoonotic foodborne pathogen. It was first identified in Bangladesh in 1991 and has since caused widespread outbreaks of food poisoning, particularly in Japan. The research group at Osaka Metropolitan University, led by Professor Shinji Yamasaki and Dr. Sharda Prasad Awasthi, has developed a new method for more accurately detecting E. albertii using quantitative real-time PCR. Testing using this technique has shown promising results in identifying E. albertii.E. albertii was found to survive in the human intestinal tract for about four weeks and continued to be present in feces. The bacterial DNA genotype of E. albertii that infected siblings was also the same, indicating possible intrafamilial transmission.
Professor Yamasaki stated, “These findings and a new real-time PCR developed in this study are expected to not only help in selecting the appropriate treatment for E. albertii gastroenteritis, but also in understanding the source and route of infection.”
