Polymerase chain reaction-based serotyping of pathogenic bacteria in food

• Comparison between traditional and PCR-based serotyping assays.
• Summarized PCR-based serotyping assays for common foodborne pathogens.
• Comprehensive lists of bioinformatics tools for PCR-based serotyping assays.

Serotyping analysis of bacterial pathogens in food products is important for foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak investigations. Traditional immunological techniques are labor-intensive and time-consuming, whereas polymerase chain r eaction (PCR)-based techniques are more robust, consistent and rapid. PCR-based methods also provide easier standardization and better reproducibility. Here, we summarize some recent developments and applications of PCR-based serotyping for common foodborne pathogens, and provide a list of available bioinformatics tools for developing PCR-based serotyping assays.