Abstract: In this study, a dual-priming oligonucleotide (DPO)-based PCR method for specific detection of Shigella was established using ipaH gene of Shigella as the target gene. The results showed that detection sensitivity of the DPO-PCR method was 1.65×10² CFU/mL. Compared with conventional PCR primers, the DPO primers were easily designed, which simplified the design procedure of PCR primers. DPO primers were not sensitive to annealing temperature, which could efficiently amplify the target gene in the annealing temperature range from 50 to 70 ℃. Moreover, due to the special structure of DPO primers, it had a higher specificity than conventional PCR primers, and none nonspecific amplifications were produced in reaction. In the practical application, tests on 133 samples including frozen/fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, fresh milk, eggs and cooked food by the DPO-PCR method showed that 15 samples were Shigella positive, which were in accordance with the testing results using GB method (GB/T 4789.5—2012), showing good practicality and reliability. The DPO-PCR method provided a new tool for fast and accurate detection of Shigella.

Key words: Shigella; ipaH gene; DPO-PCR method