Patent ID: 8114601

Claim:
A composition capable of detecting and identifying E. coli and Shigella bacteria in a sample using a nucleic acid amplification assay, said composition comprising: an amplification primer pair comprising a first and a second oligonucleotide, wherein said primer pair is adapted to amplify a region of the E. coli and Shigella DNA between and including said first and second oligonucleotides to produce a detectable amplification product that consists of sequences from the tuf gene, wherein said first oligonucleotide is, or is fully complementary to, SEQ ID NO: 1661 and optionally includes one degenerate nucleotide, or said first oligonucleotide consists of at least 15 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 1661 or the complement thereof, and wherein said second oligonucleotide is, or is fully complementary to SEQ ID NO: 1665 and optionally includes one degenerate nucleotide, or said second oligonucleotide consists of at least 15 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 1665 or the complement thereof.