scholarly journals Correlation between geographic distance and genetic similarity in an international collection of bovine faecal Escherichia coli O157[ratio ]H7 isolates

2003 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 923-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. DAVIS ◽  
D. D. HANCOCK ◽  
T. E. BESSER ◽  
D. H. RICE ◽  
C. J. HOVDE ◽  
...  

Evidence from epidemiological and molecular studies of bovine Escherichia coli O157[ratio ]H7 suggests that strains are frequently transmitted across wide geographic distances. To test this hypothesis, we compared the geographic and genetic distance of a set of international bovine Escherichia coli O157[ratio ]H7 isolates using the Mantel correlation. For a measure of genetic relatedness, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of six different restriction enzyme digests was used to generate an average Dice similarity coefficient for each isolate pair. Geographic distance was calculated using latitude and longitude data for isolate source locations. The Mantel correlation between genetic similarity and the logarithm of geographic distance in kilometers was −0·21 (P<0·001). The low magnitude of the Mantel correlation indicates that transmission over long distances is common. The occurrence of isolates from different continents on the same cluster of the dendrogram also supports the idea that Escherichia coli O157[ratio ]H7 strains can be transferred with considerable frequency over global distances.

1999 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. AKIBA ◽  
T. MASUDA ◽  
T. SAMESHIMA ◽  
K. KATSUDA ◽  
M. NAKAZAWA

A total of 77 Escherichia coli O157[ratio ]H7 (H−) isolates from cattle in Japan were investigated by molecular biological methods. Most of these isolates (43 isolates) possessed the stx2 gene, but not stx1. Fifteen bacteriophage types and 50 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles were observed. One isolate was indistinguishable from the human outbreak strain by these methods. This indicates that cattle must be considered as a possible source of human E. coli O157[ratio ]H7 infection in Japan.


2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1947-1954 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Shere ◽  
C. W. Kaspar ◽  
K. J. Bartlett ◽  
S. E. Linden ◽  
B. Norell ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A study of Escherichia coli O157:H7 transmission and shedding was conducted with bull calves housed in individual pens within a confined environment. For comparative purposes, the numbers and duration of E. coli O157:H7 shedding in naturally infected calves were monitored after a single purchased calf (calf 156) tested positive prior to inoculation. During the next 8 days, the calves in adjacent pens and a pen directly across a walkway from calf 156 began to shed this serotype O157:H7 strain. Five of the eight calves in this room shed this O157:H7 strain at some time during the following 8 weeks. The numbers of E. coli O157:H7 isolates shed in these calves varied from 60 to 105 CFU/g of feces, and the duration of shedding ranged from 17 to >31 days. The genomic DNAs from isolates recovered from these calves were indistinguishable when compared by using XbaI digestion and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Inoculation of calves with 1 liter of water containing ca. 103 to 104 CFU of E. coli O157:H7/ml resulted in shedding in 10 of 12 calves (trial 1, 4 of 4 calves; trial 2, 6 of 8 calves). The inoculated calves shed the inoculation strain (FRIK 1275) as early as 24 h after administration. The duration of shedding varied from 18 to >43 days at levels from 102 to 106 CFU/g of feces. The numbers of doses necessary to initiate shedding varied among calves, and two calves in trial 2 never shed FRIK 1275 after four doses (ca. 106 CFU per dose). Results from this study confirm previous reports of animal-to-animal and waterborne dissemination of E. coli O157:H7 and highlight the need for an effective water treatment to reduce the spread of this pathogen in cattle.


2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1172-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. AVERY ◽  
A. SMALL ◽  
C.-A. REID ◽  
S. BUNCIC

Contamination of the brisket areas of the hides of healthy adult cattle with Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O157 at slaughter in England was studied. In total, 73 cattle consignments comprising 584 animals delivered to one abattoir over 3 days during 1 week in July 2001 were studied: 26 cattle consignments arriving on Monday, 32 consignments arriving on Wednesday, and 15 consignments arriving on Friday. Consignment sizes ranged from 1 to 23 animals, with a mean consignment size of 8. The hide of the first animal to be slaughtered in each consignment was sampled by using a sponge swab moistened with 0.85% saline to rub an unmeasured brisket (ventral) area (ca. 30 by 30 cm). The process of isolating E. coli O157 from the swabs consisted of enrichment, screening with immunoprecipitation assay kits, and immunomagnetic separation. E. coli O157 was found on 24 of 73 (32.9%) cattle hides examined, and 21 of these 24 isolates produced Shiga toxins. The 24 E. coli O157 isolates produced six different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles, and 18 (75%) of the isolates were of one prevalent clone. The high prevalence of one E. coli O157 clone on the hides of cattle at slaughter could be due to a high prevalence of that clone on the 18 farms involved (not investigated in the current study), in the postfarm transport or lairage environments, or both. Since the lairage environment, but not the farm of origin or the postfarm transport vehicle, was a factor common to all 18 cattle consignments, it could have played an important role in spreading the prevalent E. coli O157 clone to the cattle hides. Lairage pen floors and the stunning box floor were identified as the most probable sites along the unloading-to-slaughter route at which the brisket areas of cattle hides could become contaminated.


2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1240-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. CHILDS ◽  
C. A. SIMPSON ◽  
W. WARREN-SERNA ◽  
G. BELLENGER ◽  
B. CENTRELLA ◽  
...  

This study was conducted to identify the origin of Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination on steer hides at the time of harvest. Samples were collected from the feedlot, transport trailers, and packing plant holding pens and from the colons and hides of feedlot steers. A total of 50 hide samples were positive for E. coli O157:H7 in two geographical locations: the Midwest (25 positive hides) and Southwest (25 positive hides). Hide samples were screened, and the presence of E. coli O157: H7 was confirmed. E. coli O157:H7 isolates were fingerprinted by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and subjected to multiplex PCR procedures for amplification of E. coli O157:H7 genes stx1, stx2, eaeA, fliC, rfbEO157, and hlyA. Feedlot water trough, pen floor, feed bunk, loading chute, truck trailer side wall and floor, packing plant holding pen floor and side rail, and packing plant cattle drinking water samples were positive for E. coli O157:H7. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis banding patterns were analyzed after classifying isolates according to the marker genes present and according to packing plant. In this study, hide samples positive for E. coli O157:H7 were traced to other E. coli O157:H7–positive hide, colon, feedlot pen floor fecal, packing plant holding pen drinking water, and transport trailer side wall samples. Links were found between packing plant side rails, feedlot loading chutes, and feedlot pens and between truck trailer, different feedlots, and colons of multiple cattle. This study is the first in which genotypic matches have been made between E. coli O157:H7 isolates obtained from transport trailer side walls and those from cattle hide samples within the packing plant.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 1909-1917
Author(s):  
SAIDA ESSENDOUBI ◽  
XIANQIN YANG ◽  
ROBIN KING ◽  
JULIA KEENLISIDE ◽  
JAVIER BAHAMON ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 in colon contents and on carcasses from pigs slaughtered at provincially licensed abattoirs (PLAs) in Alberta, Canada. In 2017, carcass sponge samples and colon content samples were collected from 504 healthy market hogs at 39 PLAs and analyzed for E. coli O157:H7. Carcass samples were also analyzed for E. coli and aerobic colony count (ACC). Nine (1.8%) of 504 carcass samples were confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7. Seven (1.4%) of 504 colon content samples were confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7. These positives were found in 5 (12.8%) of 39 PLAs from hogs originating from eight farms. The E. coli O157:H7 isolates recovered from the positive samples (n = 1 isolate per sample) were clonal, as determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Six E. coli O157:H7 isolates obtained over 8 months from one PLA that only processed hogs and sourced hogs from one farm had indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns. All 16 E. coli O157:H7 isolates harbored eae and ehxA and were of stx2a subtype, suggesting that swine can carry E. coli O157:H7 of importance to human health. All carcass sponge swabs (100%) were positive for ACC. E. coli was present in 72% of carcass swabs. Carcasses from PLAs slaughtering both beef and hogs had a numerically higher ACC mean value but not statistically different compared with the carcasses from PLAs slaughtering only swine (2,799 and 610 CFU/cm2, respectively). E. coli showed a similar trend with a mean value of 0.88 CFU/cm2 in PLAs slaughtering both species and 0.26 CFU/cm2 in PLAs slaughtering only swine (P ≤ 0.05). This study provides evidence that healthy market hogs from different producers and farms in Alberta can carry E. coli O157:H7, and some strains of the organism may be able to establish persistence on some swine farms. HIGHLIGHTS


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