Serotype assignment by sero-agglutination, ELISA, and PCR.

For assessing isolates of Listeria monocytogenes serotype designation is the foremost subtyping method used. Traditionally, serotyping has been done with agglutination reactions. In the last decade, alternative serotyping methods were described using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Herein are described the three methods, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.