WASHINGTON,
Nov. 2, 2005 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today announced
that it is adopting the BAX® system to detect
Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw beef. The BAX®
system has proven to be a rapid, highly sensitive test
for the detection of low levels of E. coli O157:H7 in
raw beef products and FSIS will use it as an initial screening
test for all raw beef samples that are analyzed for E.
coli O157:H7. Any sample found positive by a screening
test must then undergo further confirmatory analysis.
The same system is currently in use by FSIS for the detection
of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes .
The BAX® system will substantially reduce the
number of samples that are initially found to be a screening
positive, but then later confirmed to be negative. By
reducing the number of false screening-positives, FSIS
will save critical laboratory resources that can be used
for other food safety or food defense testing, thus enhancing
FSIS' efforts to protect public health. The improved screening
test also reduces the number of days that raw product
from negative production lots must be held pending laboratory
results.
FSIS is optimistic this will increase the number of establishments
that choose to hold product pending FSIS sampling results.
The evaluation of the BAX® system for E. coli
O157:H7 was collaborative effort among FSIS' Laboratory
Quality Assurance Division (LQAD), FSIS' three field laboratories
and USDA's Agricultural Research Service. LQAD oversees
the trial and approval of new laboratory methods and tests
and conducts periodic audits of each of FSIS' laboratories
to ensure that processes are working as designed.
FSIS will be using the system to screen samples in the
agency's three field service laboratories, located in
Athens, Ga., St. Louis, Mo. and Alameda, Calif. FSIS conducts
approximately 90,000 microbiological tests for E. coli
O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes annually.
For further information on the BAX system, visit www.fsis.usda.gov.
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