CRISPR/Cas13a-based RNA analysis for non-enrichment Listeria monocytogenes in food

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is an opportunistic and invasive Gram-positive bacterium. They can grow in foods that are closely related to humans. However, the development of rapid and sensitive methods for detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria remains a challenging and remarkable issue for ensuring food safety. Therefore, we developed and optimized a rapid SHERLOCK-based (SHELOCK-LM) assay for detection of L. monocytogenes and conducted an analysis of pre-enrichment and non-enrichment samples for 550 representative samples. React at 37–42 °C for 5–40 min, then the target of 1.5 fg can be detected. Its detect performance was simultaneous parallel comparison with national standard plate counting and RPA assay. Compared with plate counting, SHERLOCK-LM and RPA require less sample volume and shorter detection time. SHERLOCK-LM showed that it has higher overall detection performance than RPA for complex food matrices. It offered great development potential as a novel detection technology for the detection of L. monocytogenes in food.