Selection of Recently Isolated Colicinogenic Escherichia coli Strains Inhibitory to Escherichia coli O157:H7

2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1381-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERRY P. SCHAMBERGER ◽  
FRANCISCO DIEZ-GONZALEZ

Escherichia coli strains were screened for their ability to inhibit E. coli O157:H7. An initial evaluation of 18 strains carrying previously characterized colicins determined that only colicin E7 inhibited all of the E. coli O157:H7 strains tested. A total of 540 strains that had recently been isolated from humans and nine different animal species (cats, cattle, chickens, deer, dogs, ducks, horses, pigs, and sheep) were tested by a flip-plating technique. Approximately 38% of these strains were found to inhibit noncolicinogenic E. coli K12 strains. The percentage of potentially colicinogenic E. coli per animal species ranged from 14% for horse isolates to 64% for sheep strains. Those isolates that inhibited E. coli K12 were screened against E. coli O157:H7, and 42 strains were found to be capable of inhibiting all 22 pathogenic strains tested. None of these 42 strains produced bacteriophages, and only 24 isolates inhibited serotype O157:H7 in liquid culture. The inhibitory activity of these strains was completely eliminated by treatment with proteinase K. When mixtures of these 24 colicinogenic strains were grown in anaerobic continuous culture, the four-strain E. coli O157:H7 population was reduced at a rate of 0.25 log10 cells per ml per h, which was fivefold faster than the washout rate. Two strains originally isolated from cat feces (F16) and human feces (H30) were identified by repetitive sequences polymerase chain reaction as the predominant isolates in continuous cultures. The results of this work indicate that animal species other than cattle can be sources of anti-O157 colicinogenic strains, and these results also lead to the identification of at least two isolates that could potentially be used in preharvest control strategies.

2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAKAHISA MIYAMOTO ◽  
NATSUKO ICHIOKA ◽  
CHIE SASAKI ◽  
HIROSHI KOBAYASHI ◽  
KEN-ICHI HONJOH ◽  
...  

The DNA band patterns generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the du2 primer and template DNAs from various strains of Escherichia coli and non–E. coli bacteria were compared. Among three to five prominent bands produced, the three bands at about 1.8, 2.7, and 5.0 kb were detected in all of the E. coli O157 strains tested. Some nonpathogenic E. coli and all pathogenic E. coli except E. coli O157 showed bands at 1.8 and 5.0 kb. It seems that the band at 2.7 kb is specific to E. coli O157. Sequence analysis of the 2.7-kb PCR product revealed the presence of a DNA sequence specific to E. coli O157:H− and E. coli O157:H7. Since the DNA sequence from base 15 to base 1008 of the PCR product seems to be specific to E. coli O157, a PCR assay was carried out with various bacterial genomic DNAs and O157-FHC1 and O157-FHC2 primers that amplified the region between base 23 and base 994 of the 2.7-kb PCR product. A single band at 970 bp was clearly detected in all of the strains of E. coli O157:H− and E. coli O157:H7 tested. However, no band was amplified from template DNAs from other bacteria, including both nonpathogenic and pathogenic E. coli except E. coli O157. All raw meats inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at 3 × 100 to 3.5 × 102 CFU/25 g were positive both for our PCR assay after cultivation in mEC-N broth at 42°C for 18 h and for the conventional cultural method.


2006 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. CONEDERA ◽  
E. MATTIAZZI ◽  
F. RUSSO ◽  
E. CHIESA ◽  
I. SCORZATO ◽  
...  

A family outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 infection was microbiologically associated with consumption of dry-fermented salami made with pork meat only and produced in a local plant. E. coli O157 strains isolated from a wife and husband, both hospitalized with bloody diarrhoea, and from the salami carried vt1, vt2 and eae genes and shared the same PFGE pattern. The food vehicle implicated in this outbreak is unusual because of both the animal species from which it originates and the fermentation and drying steps of the manufacturing process. This could be the first report of an outbreak associated with a product containing pork meat only. Even though sources of contamination other than pork meat could not be excluded, pork products should not be neglected in E. coli O157 outbreak investigations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1743-1750 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREA KROJ ◽  
HERBERT SCHMIDT

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains are important foodborne pathogens that are often transmitted to humans by the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat of bovine origin. To investigate adaptation of this pathogen during persistence and growth in ground meat, we established an in vivo expression technology model to identify genes that are expressed during growth in this food matrix under elevated temperatures (42°C). To improve on the antibiotic-based selection method, we constructed the promoter trap vector pAK-1, containing a promoterless kanamycin resistance gene. A genomic library of E. coli O157:H7 strain EDL933 was constructed in pAK-1 and used for promoter selection in ground meat. The 20 in vivo expressed genes identified were associated with transport processes, metabolism, macromolecule synthesis, and stress response. For most of the identified genes, only hypothetical functions could be assigned. The results of our study provide the first insights into the complex response of E. coli O157:H7 to a ground meat environment under elevated temperatures and establish a suitable vector for promoter studies or selection of in vivo induced promoters in foods such as ground meat.


2000 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1032-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
PINA M. FRATAMICO ◽  
LORI K. BAGI ◽  
TIZIANA PEPE

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to simplify detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and to identify the H serogroup and the type of Shiga toxin produced by this bacterium. Primers for a plasmid-encoded hemolysin gene (hly933), and chromosomal flagella (fliCh7; flagellar structural gene of H7 serogroup), Shiga toxins (stx1, stx2), and attaching and effacing (eaeA) genes were used in a multiplex PCR for coamplification of the corresponding DNA sequences from enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7. Enrichment cultures of ground beef, blue cheese, mussels, alfalfa sprouts, and bovine feces, artificially inoculated with various levels of E. coli O157:H7 strain 933, were subjected to a simple DNA extraction step prior to the PCR, and the resulting amplification products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Sensitivity of the assay was ≤1 CFU/g of food or bovine feces (initial inoculum level), and results could be obtained within 24 h. Similar detection levels were obtained with ground beef samples that underwent enrichment culturing immediately after inoculation and samples that were frozen or refrigerated prior to enrichment. The multiplex PCR facilitates detection of E. coli O157:H7 and can reduce the time required for confirmation of isolates by up to 3 to 4 days.


1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 934-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
PINA M. FRATAMICO ◽  
TERENCE P. STROBAUGH

In commercial beef processing, carcasses are customarily washed with water to remove physical and microbial contamination. Assaying the water that is shed from the carcasses after washing is a convenient method to determine whether the carcass is contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 or other bacterial pathogens. E. coli O157:H7 was inoculated into carcass wash water at various levels and the bacteria were then concentrated by filtration. After collection of bacteria in the filter units, the nylon membranes were cut out and placed in tubes containing growth medium, and the tubes were mixed vigorously to dislodge the bacteria from the membranes. Prior to enrichment, samples were removed for testing by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a direct immunofluorescent filter technique (DIFT). The remaining samples were subjected to 4-h enrichment culturing at 37°C, after which aliquots were removed for testing by multiplex PCR, DIFT, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Following 4-h enrichment culturing, E. coli O157:H7 was detected in wash water samples initially inoculated with ca. 100, 0.1, and 1 CFU/ml by ELISA, DIFT, and multiplex PCR, respectively. Testing of the wash water using the ELISA and the DIFT can be accomplished in less than 8 h. On the basis of these results, assaying carcass wash water by ELISA, DIFT, or multiplex PCR can be useful for detection of E. coli O157:H7 beef carcass contamination and can potentially be employed to identify carcasses for further processing to inactivate the organism.


2004 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 856-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Abdulmawjood ◽  
Michael Bülte ◽  
Stefanie Roth ◽  
Hahn Schönenbrücher ◽  
Nigel Cook ◽  
...  

Abstract The performance of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detection of Escherichia coli O157, previously validated on DNA extracted from pure cultures, was evaluated on spiked cattle swabs through an interlaboratory trial, including 12 participating laboratories from 11 European countries. Twelve cattle swab samples, spiked at 4 levels (0, 1–10, 10–100, and 100–1000 colony-forming units, in triplicate) with E. coli O157 were prepared centrally in the originating laboratory; the receiving laboratories performed pre-PCR treatment followed by PCR. The results were reported as positive when the correct amplicons were present after gel electrophoresis. The statistical analysis, performed on 10 sets of reported results, determined the diagnostic sensitivity to be 92.2%. The diagnostic specificity was 100%. The accordance (repeatability) was 90.0%, calculated from all positive inoculation levels. The concordance (reproducibility) was 85.0%, calculated from all positive inoculation levels. The concordance odds ratio (degree of interlaboratory variation calculated from all positive inoculation levels) was 1.58, indicating the robustness of the PCR method. Thus, the interlaboratory variation due to personnel, reagents, minor temperature or pH fluctuations and, not least, thermal cyclers, did not affect the performance of the method, which is currently being considered as part of an international PCR standard.


2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 691-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. D. NIU ◽  
Y. XU ◽  
T. A. McALLISTER ◽  
E. A. ROZEMA ◽  
T. P. STEPHENS ◽  
...  

This study was conducted to compare fecal grab (FEC) and rectoanal mucosal swab (RAMS) techniques as sampling methods for surveillance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in conjunction with administration of a mitigation therapy. The study was nested within a larger experiment that investigated bacteriophage as a preharvest strategy for controlling E. coli O157: H7 in feedlot steers. Samples (FEC and RAMS) were collected from 16 of the 32 feedlot steers (control and oral bacteriophage treatment; n = 8) involved in the mitigation study. All steers had been inoculated on day 0 with 1010 CFU of nalidixic acid–resistant E. coli O157:H7, and samples were collected on 16 occasions over the next 83 days. FEC samples were assessed by direct plating of serial dilutions in PBS, plus a 6-h enrichment and immunomagnetic separation when E. coli O157:H7 concentrations were below limits detectable by direct plating (i.e., <1 log CFU/g). All RAMS samples were assessed by enrichment and immunomagnetic separation. E. coli O157:H7 was detected more frequently (P < 0.01) by FEC than by RAMS. Overall, 213 of 256 samples were positive either by FEC or RAMS. Discrepancies between sampling techniques were observed in 63 of the 213 positive samples; FEC missed 11 samples that were positive by RAMS, and RAMS missed 52 of those positive by FEC (miss rates of 5.16 and 24.41%, respectively). Kappa values (0.36 to 0.45) indicated only fair to moderate agreement between FEC and RAMS results, but this agreement was higher at lower levels of E. coli O157:H7 shedding (later in the experimental period). Selection of sampling procedure could significantly influence the assessed merit during testing of potential strategies for controlling E. coli O157:H7 on the farm.


1995 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN D. WEAGANT ◽  
JAMES L. BRYANT ◽  
KAREN G. JINNEMAN

A newly revised enrichment and agar-plating system was tested for selectivity and sensitivity in recovery of unstressed and cold-stressed Escherichia coli O157:H7 from foods. Various foods inoculated with known levels of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 (EHEC) were tested by enrichment for 6 h at 37°C in modified tryptic soy broth (mTSB) base supplemented with vancomycin, cefsulodin and cefixime, referred to as EHEC enrichment broth (EEB). Subsequently, portions were spread-plated on sorbitol–MacConkey agar supplemented with tellurite and cefixime (TCSMAC). Further selective enrichment was also examined using immunomagnetic separation (IMS) from the EEB prior to spread-plating on TCSMAC agar. These methods were compared to a procedure of enrichment in mTSB (supplemented with novobiocin) at 37°C for 24 h followed by spread-plating of decimal dilutions on hemorrhagic colitis 4–methylumbelliferyl–B–D–glucuronide (HC–MUG) agar. The new enrichment isolation technique was found to be sensitive at a level of one EHEC organism per 10 g of food in four food types. This represents an approximate l00-fold to 1,000-fold enhancement in sensitivity over the comparative method for foods with high levels of competitive microflora. These enrichment-isolation protocols also were compared in analysis of naturally contaminated raw or undercooked ground beef samples implicated in foodborne illness. EEB-TCSMAC with and without IMS were combined with rapid biochemical tests, and with O157 latex agglutination and confirmation of toxin genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to provide a completed test within 30 h of initiating testing. The new system was successful in 15 of 17 samples, where only 6 of 17 were found positive by the comparative technique.


2001 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 788-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADRIENNE E. H. SHEARER ◽  
CHRISTINE M. STRAPP ◽  
ROLF D. JOERGER

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection system, BAX, was evaluated for its sensitivity in detecting Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria sp., and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh produce. Fifteen different types of produce (alfalfa sprouts, green peppers, parsley, white cabbage, radishes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupe, mango, apples, and oranges) were inoculated, in separate studies, with Salmonella Enteritidis, E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes down to the predicted level of 1 CFU per 25-g sample. Detection by BAX was compared to recovery of the inoculated bacteria by culture methods according to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM). BAX was essentially as sensitive as the culture-based method in detecting Salmonella Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes and more sensitive than the culture-based method for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 on green pepper, carrot, radish, and sprout samples. Detection of the pathogenic bacteria in samples spiked with a predicted number of less than 10 CFU was possible for most produce samples, but both methods failed to detect L. monocytogenes on carrot samples and one of two mushroom and onion samples spiked with less than 100 CFU. Both BAX and the culture method were also unable to consistently recover low numbers of E. coli O157:H7 from alfalfa sprouts. The PCR method allowed detection of Salmonella Enteritidis, E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes at least 2 days earlier than the conventional culture methods.


2003 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTINE M. STRAPP ◽  
ADRIENNE E. H. SHEARER ◽  
ROLF D. JOERGER

BAX, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based pathogen detection system, was used to survey retail sprouts and mushrooms for contamination with Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. No Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 was detected in the 202 mushroom and 206 alfalfa sprout samples screened. L. monocytogenes was detected in one sprout sample, and seven additional sprout samples tested positive for the genus Listeria. BAX also detected Listeria species in 17 of the mushroom samples. Only 6 of 850 PCR assays (0.7%) failed to amplify control DNA, and therefore reagent failures and the inhibition of PCR by plant compounds were rare. The sensitivity of the detection system was evaluated by assaying samples inoculated with 10 CFU of each of the pathogens. One hundred seventy-two alfalfa sprout samples were inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, and two sets of 130 samples were experimentally contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes. The frequency of detection depended on the protocols used for inoculation and culturing. Inoculation of samples with approximately 10 CFU from frozen stocks yielded detection rates of 87.5 and 94.5% for L. monocytogenes and Salmonella Enteritidis, respectively, in mushrooms. The corresponding rates for alfalfa sprouts were 94.5 and 76.3%. The E. coli O157:H7 detection rate was 100% for mushrooms but only 48.6% for sprouts when standard BAX culture protocols were used. The substitution of an overnight incubation in modified E. coli medium for the 3-h brain heart infusion incubation increased the rate of E. coli O157:H7 detection to 75% for experimentally contaminated sprouts. The detection rate was 100% when E. coli O157:H7 cells from a fresh overnight culture were used for the inoculation. Test sensitivity is therefore influenced by the type of produce involved and is probably related to the growth of pathogens in the resuscitation and enrichment media.


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