A simple macroarray system based on the use of polyester cloth as the solid phase for DNA hybridization has been developed for the identification and characterization of bacteria on the basis of the presence of various virulence and toxin genes. In this approach, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) incorporating digoxigenin-dUTP is used to simultaneously amplify different marker genes, with subsequent rapid detection of the amplicons by hybridization with an array of probes immobilized on polyester cloth and immunoenzymatic assay of the bound label. As an example of the applicability of this cloth-based hybridization array system (CHAS) in the characterization of foodborne pathogens, a method has been developed enabling the detection of antibiotic resistance and other marker genes associated with the multidrug-resistant food pathogen Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Typhimurium DT104. The CHAS is a simple, cost-effective tool for the simultaneous detection of amplicons generated in a multiplex PCR, and the concept is broadly applicable to the identification of key pathogen-specific marker genes in bacterial isolates.