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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2005, p. 5865-5872, Vol. 43, No. 12
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.12.5865-5872.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Rapid Ped-2E9 Cell-Based Cytotoxicity Analysis and Genotyping of Bacillus Species

Molecular Food Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907

Received 1 April 2005/ Returned for modification 22 May 2005/ Accepted 25 September 2005

Bacillus species causing food-borne disease produce multiple toxins eliciting gastroenteritis. Toxin assays with mammalian cell cultures are reliable but may take 24 to 72 h to complete and also lack sensitivity. Here, a sensitive and rapid assay was developed using a murine hybridoma Ped-2E9 cell model. Bacillus culture supernatants containing toxins were added to a Ped-2E9 cell line and analyzed for cytotoxicity with an alkaline phosphatase release assay. Most Bacillus cereus strains produced positive cytotoxicity results within 1 h, and data were comparable to those obtained with the standard Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-based cytotoxicity assay, which took about 72 h to complete. Moreover, the Ped-2E9 cell assay had 25- to 58-fold-higher sensitivity than the CHO assay. Enterotoxin-producing Bacillus thuringiensis also gave positive results with Ped-2E9 cells, while several other Bacillus species were negative. Eight isolates from food suspected of Bacillus contamination were also tested, and only one strain, which was later confirmed as B. cereus, gave a positive result. In comparison with two commercial diarrheal toxin assay kits (BDE-VIA and BCET-RPLA), the Ped-2E9 assay performed more reliably. Toxin fractions of >30 kDa showed the highest degree of cytotoxicity effects, and heat treatment significantly reduced the toxin activity, indicating the involvement of a heat-labile high-molecular-weight component in Ped-2E9 cytotoxicity. PCR results, in most cases, were in agreement with the cytotoxic potential of each strain. Ribotyping was used to identify cultures and indicated differences for several previously reported isolates. This Ped-2E9 cell assay could be used as a rapid (1-h) alternative to current methods for sensitive detection of enterotoxins from Bacillus species.