DNA Probe–Based Patch Offers Novel Approach to Detecting Food Contamination

Officials from the New Jersey Department of Health said yesterday that an E. coli outbreak has spread to four New Jersey counties. Six cases have been reported in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Warren counties.Separately, a team of biochemists and mechanical and chemical engineers at McMaster University says it has developed a transparent test patch that can signal food contamination as it happens. The patch can be incorporated directly into food packaging, where it can monitor the contents