Abstract: The present teachings generally relate to methods and kits incorporating a discriminating positive control for determining whether a particular microorganism or group of microorganisms are present in a sample, for example but not limited to a food, environmental, agricultural, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or water sample. According to certain methods, at least part of a starting material, for example but not limited to, a food, environmental, agricultural, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or water sample can be combined with a culture medium and incubated under conditions suitable for microbial growth followed by extracting microorganism and added control nucleic acids for analysis.

Abstract: The present teachings describe compositions, methods and kits for detection of one or multiple microorganism contaminants in samples. Some embodiments relate to detecting one or more microorganisms producing virulence factors such as a shiga toxin (stx) or an eae. In some embodiments, compositions, methods and kits can detect and identify individual strains and serotypes of shiga toxin producing microorganisms. Some embodiments describe compositions, methods and kits for detecting STEC microbes. Workflows for multiple microbe detection and identification are also described.

Abstract: The present teachings generally relate to methods and kits incorporating a discriminating positive control for determining whether a particular microorganism or group of microorganisms are present in a sample, for example but not limited to a food, environmental, agricultural, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or water sample. According to certain methods, at least part of a starting material, for example but not limited to, a food, environmental, agricultural, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or water sample can be combined with a culture medium and incubated under conditions suitable for microbial growth followed by extracting microorganism and added control nucleic acids for analysis.