Discrimination of mushrooms causing food-poisoning incidents by using DNA sequence analysis

Abstract

In this study, the identification of mushrooms by using DNA analysis was investigated. Our analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions revealed that a DNA-based method could be applicable for samples that are difficult to distinguish in terms of the morphological characteristics. PCR amplification using templates extracted from cooked samples gave sufficient fragments to analyze the sequence. However, treatment with simulated gastric fluid (SGF) for more than 30 min affected the analysis of the ITS region. Application to samples of vomit is also discussed.