The RapidFinder STEC Detection Workflow

Choose the best option for STEC detection

For beef producers, rapid and accurate results when screening products for STEC and other pathogens can bring substantial economic benefits.

• Release product sooner
• Avoid unnecessary product diversions and production shutdowns
• Minimize risk to your brand and reputation

Current reference methods for detecting STEC in beef samples are accurate and sensitive but can be slow and labor-intensive. Alternative rapid methods can show reduced accuracy and often require large volumes of proprietary media, making them a risky and uneconomic option.

The Applied Biosystems™ RapidFinder™ STEC Detection Workflow enables screening for E. coli O157:H7 and six strains of Shiga toxigenic E. coli—the Big 6 STECs—in as few as 12 hours, providing a rapid, validated workflow for STEC detection in raw ground beef and raw beef trim.

The RapidFinder STEC Detection Workflow is a two-stage real-time PCR method, designed to accurately detect and confirm the presence of E. coli O157:H7 and the 'Big 6' serogroups of non-O157 STEC (serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 & O145), defined by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as adulterants in the American beef industry.

Gain the benefits of the RapidFinder STEC Detection Workflow 

• Greater confidence in results—optimized workflow, co-developed with USDA ARS, showed equivalent performance to the USDA-MLG reference method in AOAC Research Institute (AOAC-RI) validation studies
• Simplified workflow—simultaneous detection of E. coli O157:H7 and any of the Big 6 non-O157:H7 E. coli in 375g raw ground beef and raw beef trim samples, with a system to fit within your existing testing program
• Rapid product release—same-day detection of pathogenic STECs and clearance of STEC-negative product in as few as 12 hours with presumptive positives confirmed with just one additional PCR test (~1 hour)
• Minimized costs, space requirements and handling steps—single enrichment step in non-proprietary enrichment broth

Two rapid, reliable alternative workflows to suit your food production

The RapidFinder STEC Detection System has two AOAC Research Institute (AOAC-RI) Performance Tested Methods^SM certified workflow options that greatly reduce the sample enrichment time and volume, adding a second layer of specificity for sero-group specific detection.

Workflow 1, ~12 hours, suitable for laboratories running a high test throughput
Automated sample preparation is used on the Applied Biosystems™ MagMax™ Express-96 Magnetic Particle Processor and Applied Biosystems™ PrepSEQ™ Nucleic Acid Extraction Kit, or the Thermo Scientific™ KingFisher™ Flex Purification System, KingFisher with 96 Deep-well Head. Up to 96 samples can be processed together, from enrichment to RapidFinder STEC Screening Assay results, in approximately 12 hours. One additional hour is required for the RapidFinder STEC Confirmation Assay results.  

*Used with the MagMax Express 96 Deep Well Processor or the  Thermo Scientific™ KingFisher™ Flex Purification System, KingFisher with 96 Deep-well Head

** Includes: 7500 Fast instrument, Computer, RapidFinder Express v2.0 and SDS 1.4.2 Software, capping tool, Precision plate holder, Calibration kits and Block balance tubes