ISO/TS 17919:2013 specifies a horizontal method for the molecular detection of clostridia carrying botulinum neurotoxin A, B, E, and F genes by a PCR method. This method detects the genes and not the toxins, therefore a positive result does not necessarily mean the presence of these toxins in the sample investigated. ISO/TS 17919:2013 is applicable to products for human consumption, animal feed, and environmental samples.

The PCR assays for detection of genetic sequences encoding specific toxin types are described in annexes.