Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Retail Ground Beef in Seattle: Results of a One-Year Prospective Study

1999 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
PHILLIP I. TARR ◽  
NHIEM THANH TRAN ◽  
RICHARD A. WILSON

Escherichia coli O157:H7 was sought systematically in 1,400 samples of retail ground beef in Seattle in a 1-year prospective study. Sorbitol-nonfermenting, lactose-fermenting, indole-positive colonies isolated after enrichment culture were probed for the presence of Shiga toxin genes. Totals of 67,040 sorbitol-nonfermenting and 66,705 sorbitol-fermenting colonies were characterized, but E. coli O157:H7 was not identified. The sensitivity of this technique was usually sufficient to detect E. coli O157:H7 at a concentration below 1 CFU/g of meat. These data demonstrate that retail ground beef in Seattle is neither frequently nor heavily contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 149-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Osek ◽  
P. Gallien

Fourteen Escherichia coli O157 strains isolated from cattle and pigs in Poland and in Germany were investigated, using PCR, for the genetic markers associated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Only two strains, both of cattle origin, were positive for the fliC (H7) gene and could be classified as O157 : H7. Nine isolates had stx shiga toxin genes, either stx1 (1 strain), stx2 (4 isolates) or both (4 strains). The stx2-carrying samples were further subtyped by PCR for the stx2c, stx2d, and stx2e toxin variants. It was shown that all but one stx2-positive bacteria possessed the stx2c Shiga toxin gene type and one stx2 STEC isolate had the stx2d virulence factor sub-type. The eaeA (intimin) gene was found in 9 strains (8 isolates from cattle and one strain from pigs); all of them harboured the genetic marker characteristic of the gamma intimin variant. The translocated intimin receptor (tir) gene was detected in 7 isolates tested and among them only one tir-positive strain was recovered from pigs. The ehly E. coli enterohemolysin gene was amplified in all but one strains obtained from cattle and only in one isolate of porcine origin. The genetic relatedness of the analysed E. coli O157 strains was examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of chromosomal DNA digested with XbaI. Two distinct but related RFLP pattern clusters were observed: one with 9 strains (8 isolates of bovine origin and one strain obtained from pigs) and the other one comprises the remaining 5 E. coli isolates (4 of porcine origin and one strain recovered from cattle). The results suggest that pigs, besides cattle, may be a reservoir of E. coli O157 strains potentially pathogenic to humans. Moreover, epidemiologically unrelated isolates of the O157 serogroup, recovered from different animal species, showed a clonal relationship as demonstrated by the RFLP analysis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allah Bux Baloch ◽  
Hua Yang ◽  
Yuqing Feng ◽  
Meili Xi ◽  
Qian Wu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine the presence and characteristics of Escherichia coli in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. A total of 300 RTE foods samples were collected in Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China: 50 samples of cooked meat, 165 samples of vegetable salad, 50 samples of cold noodles, and 35 samples of salted boiled peanuts. All samples were collected during summer (in July to October) 2011 and 2012 and surveyed for the presence of E. coli. E. coli isolates recovered were classified by phylogenetic typing using a PCR assay. The presence of Shiga toxin genes 1 (stx1) and 2 (stx2) was determined for these E. coli isolates by PCR, and all isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of class 1 integrons. Overall, 267 (89.0%) RTE food samples were positive for E. coli: 49 cold noodle, 46 cooked meat, 150 salad vegetable, and 22 salted boiled peanut samples. Of the 267 E. coli isolates, 73.0% belong to phylogenetic group A, 12.4% to group B1, 6.4% to group B2, and 8.2% to group D. All isolates were negative for both Shiga toxin genes. Among the isolates, 74.2% were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 17.6% were resistant to three or more antimicrobial agents. Resistance to ampicillin (75.6% of isolates) and tetracycline (73.1% of isolates) was most frequently detected; 26.2% of E. coli isolates and 68.8% of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates were positive for class 1 integrons. All isolates were sensitive to amikacin. Our findings indicate that RTE foods in Shaanxi were commonly contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli, which may pose a risk for consumer health and for transmission of antibiotic resistance. Future research is warranted to track the contamination sources and develop appropriate steps that should be taken by government, industry, and retailers to reduce microbial contamination in RTE foods.


Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian A.M. Tarr ◽  
Taryn Stokowski ◽  
Smriti Shringi ◽  
Phillip I. Tarr ◽  
Stephen B. Freedman ◽  
...  

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is the predominant cause of diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) worldwide. Its cardinal virulence traits are Shiga toxins, which are encoded by stx genes, the most common of which are stx1a, stx2a, and stx2c. The toxins these genes encode differ in their in vitro and experimental phenotypes, but the human population-level impact of these differences is poorly understood. Using Shiga toxin-encoding bacteriophage insertion typing and real-time polymerase chain reaction, we genotyped isolates from 936 E. coli O157:H7 cases and verified HUS status via chart review. We compared the HUS risk between isolates with stx2a and those with stx2a and another gene and estimated additive interaction of the stx genes. Adjusted for age and symptoms, the HUS incidence of E. coli O157:H7 containing stx2a alone was 4.4% greater (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.3%, 9.1%) than when it occurred with stx1a. When stx1a and stx2a occur together, the risk of HUS was 27.1% lower (95% CI −87.8%, −2.3%) than would be expected if interaction were not present. At the population level, temporal or geographic shifts toward these genotypes should be monitored, and stx genotype may be an important consideration in clinically predicting HUS among E. coli O157:H7 cases.


2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Zweifel ◽  
Lisa Fierz ◽  
Nicole Cernela ◽  
Sauli Laaksonen ◽  
Maria Fredriksson-Ahomaa ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Fecal samples collected from 470 slaughtered reindeer 6 to 7 months of age were screened by real-time PCR (after enrichment) for Shiga toxin genes (stx) and then for Escherichia coli serogroup O157. Shiga toxin genes were found frequently (>30% of samples), and serogroup O157 was detected in 20% of the stx-positive samples. From these samples, a total of 25 E. coli O157:H− isolates (nonmotile but PCR positive for fliCH7) were obtained. Twenty-four of these E. coli O157:H− isolates did not ferment sorbitol and originated from one geographic area. These 24 isolates belonged to the multilocus sequence type 11, typical for Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7 and O157:H−, and harbored genes stx1a, stx2c, eae, and hlyA; the stx2c subtype has been associated with high virulence. In contrast, one E. coli O157:H− isolate (multilocus sequence type 11) did ferment sorbitol, lacked Shiga toxin genes, but was positive for eae, hlyA, and sfpA. This isolate closely resembled an STEC that has lost its Shiga toxin genes. Additional examination revealed that reindeer can be colonized by various other STEC isolates; 21 non-O157 STEC isolates belonged to four multilocus sequence types, harbored stx1a (8 isolates) or stx2b (13 isolates), and in the stx2b-positive isolates the recently described new allelic variants (subAB2-2 and subAB2-3) for subtilase cytotoxin were identified. Hence, slaughtered semidomesticated Finnish reindeer might constitute a little known reservoir for STEC O157:H7/H− and other serogroups, and the risk of direct or indirect transmission of these pathogens from reindeer to humans and domestic livestock must not be overlooked.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (11+12/2018) ◽  
Author(s):  
Savas Aslan ◽  
Mustafa Altindis ◽  
Recep Kara ◽  
Tayfur Demiray ◽  
Mehmet Koroglu

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 872-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARILYN C. ERICKSON ◽  
CATHY C. WEBB ◽  
LINDSEY E. DAVEY ◽  
ALISON S. PAYTON ◽  
IAN D. FLITCROFT ◽  
...  

Preharvest internalization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 into the roots of leafy greens is a food safety risk because the pathogen may be systemically transported to edible portions of the plant. In this study, both abiotic (degree of soil moisture) and biotic (E. coli O157:H7 exposure, presence of Shiga toxin genes, and type of leafy green) factors were examined to determine their potential effects on pathogen internalization into roots of leafy greens. Using field soil that should have an active indigenous microbial community, internalized populations in lettuce roots were 0.8 to 1.6 log CFU/g after exposure to soil containing E. coli O157:H7 at 5.6 to 6.1 log CFU/g. Internalization of E. coli O157:H7 into leafy green plant roots was higher when E. coli O157:H7 populations in soil were increased to 7 or 8 log CFU/g or when the soil was saturated with water. No differences were noted in the extent to which internalization of E. coli O157:H7 occurred in spinach, lettuce, or parsley roots; however, in saturated soil, maximum levels in parsley occurred later than did those in spinach or lettuce. Translocation of E. coli O157:H7 from roots to leaves was rare; therefore, decreases observed in root populations over time were likely the result of inactivation within the plant tissue. Shiga toxin–negative (nontoxigenic) E. coli O157:H7 isolates were more stable than were virulent isolates in soil, but the degree of internalization of E. coli O157:H7 into roots did not differ between isolate type. Therefore, these nontoxigenic isolates could be used as surrogates for virulent isolates in field trials involving internalization.


2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1682-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cleber Jacob Silva de Paula ◽  
José Moacir Marin

Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) and Attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) have been associated with diarrhea illness in dogs. From January to December 2006, 92 E. coli isolates from 25 diarrheic dogs were analyzed, by screening for the presence of Shiga toxin-producing (stx 1 and stx 2) and intimin (eae) genes. Twelve isolates were detected by PCR to harbor the Shiga toxin genes (7 the stx 1 (7.6%); 5 the stx 2 (5.4%); and none both of them). Nine (9.8%) of the E. coli isolates studied were eae positive non Shiga toxin-producing. Thirteen (62.0%) isolates, carrying stx or eae gene, also showed a hemolysin production. The strains with virulence genes were also examined for resistance to 12 antimicrobial agents. Resistances to cephalothin (85.7%), streptomycin (81.0%), amoxicillin (71.4%) and gentamicin (71.4%) were predominantly observed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document