Rheonix, Inc. has launched its Listeria PatternAlert™ assay, a breakthrough method for rapidly identifying molecular patterns from Listeria strains. The method will assist food producers in identifying harborage sites for persistent Listeria, and in tracing back sources of contamination. The Listeria PatternAlert assay provides results in just six hours after a presumptive positive screen, enabling users to take rapid action to reduce the risk of contamination and recall.

Current strain typing methods take up to two weeks to complete and require an isolate in pure culture. The Listeria PatternAlert assay, which is performed using the fully automated Encompass Optimum™ workstation, enables users to detect molecular patterns in just six hours directly from a positive enriched sample, without the need for an isolate. Each result can be matched against a user’s specific PatternAlert database to identify their pattern matches across locations and time.

The Listeria PatternAlert assay detects the presence or absence of independently occurring genetic targets that can sort Listeria into thousands of potential patterns. Each pattern generated by the assay encompasses a group of strains and may include multiple species of Listeria.

Highlights of the method include:

• Rapid identification of recurring Listeria patterns
• Actionable results in 6 hours after positive screen
• Direct from positive enrichment—no isolate required
• Runs on fully automated Encompass Optimum™ workstation
• User-specific database of patterns

Find out more about Listeria PatternAlert assay: