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Foodborne diseases remain a persistent challenge to public health. Foodborne disease outbreaks cause approximately 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths every year worldwide. These outbreaks also cause a serious economic loss for both the consumer and the industry. Most reported foodborne disease outbreaks from the consumption of contaminated products were caused by pathogens, such as Escherichia coli O157: H7, Salmonella and Shigella. There is a need for new, more rapid and specific detection, quantification and characterization methods for food related microorganisms. Traditional testing methods have been found unsatisfactory. For instance, biochemical tests used for identification of Shigella spp. does not distinguish it from Escherichia coli. PCR based identification methods can overcome these difficulties. In the present study, 30 different fast food samples were collected from local vendors …