Classification of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria and development of an identification method based on DNA sequences

Abstract

Recent large-scale food poisoning related incidents have raised consumer awareness and demand for greater food safety. Food companies have introduced various monitoring and methods of control, and continuous action is being taken to ensure the safety of food. Against this background, test methods for detection and discrimination of microbes have progressed; however, there has long been a need for a rapid and accurate method to identify various microbes. Thus, since 1997, my colleagues and I have been in the process of developing an identification method for aerobic endospore-forming bacteria, which is more rapid, accurate, unified, and time-efficient than previous methods.

For a number of years, contamination and spoilage by aerobic endospore-forming bacteria has been a serious quality issue in the food industry. However, the taxonomy of the bacteria is very complex, there are many genera and species, and it is difficult to find differential characteristics among the bacteria for accurate identification. Accordingly, we evaluated and developed an identification method based on the 16S rDNA sequence using many strains.

A description is presented here of the taxonomic transition of the bacteria and some examples of the development of this identification method.