Detection of specific strains of viable bacterial pathogens by using RNA bead assays and flow cytometry with 2100 Bioanalyzer.

Bead assays are an emerging microbial detection technology with the capability for rapid detection of extremely low levels of viable pathogens. Such technologies are of high value in clinical settings and in the food industry. Here, we perform a bead assay for extracted 16S rRNA from Escherichia coli (strain K12) with the flow cytometry readout on a 2100 Bioanalyzer, a highly accurate, small-scale flow cytometer system.