Public health risk of O157 and Non-O157 Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli strains in a semi-urban environment in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Little is known about the public health risks associated with natural creek sediments that are affected by runoff and fecal pollution from agricultural and livestock practices. For instance, the persistence of foodborne pathogens such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) originating from these practices remains poorly quantified. Towards closing these knowledge gaps, the water-sediment interface of two creeks in the Salinas River Valley of California was sampled over a 9-month period using metagenomics and traditional culture-based tests for STEC. Our results revealed that these sediment communities are extremely diverse and have functional and taxonomic diversity comparable to that observed in soils. With our sequencing effort (∼4 Gbp per library), we were unable to detect any pathogenic E. coli in the metagenomes of 11 samples that had tested positive using culture-based methods, apparently due to relatively low abundance. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the abundance of human- or cow-specific gut microbiome sequences in the downstream impacted sites compared to that in upstream more pristine (control) sites, indicating natural dilution of anthropogenic inputs. Notably, the high number of metagenomic reads carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) found in all samples was significantly higher than ARG reads in other available freshwater and soil metagenomes, suggesting that these communities may be natural reservoirs of ARGs. The work presented here should serve as a guide for sampling volumes, amount of sequencing to apply, and what bioinformatics analyses to perform when using metagenomics for public health risk studies of environmental samples such as sediments. IMPORTANCE Current agricultural and livestock practices contribute to fecal contamination in the environment and the spread of food- and waterborne disease and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Traditionally, the level of pollution and risk to public health are assessed by culture-based tests for the intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli. However, the accuracy of these traditional methods (e.g., low accuracy in quantification, and false-positive signal when PCR based) and their suitability for sediments remain unclear. We collected sediments for a time series metagenomics study from one of the most highly productive agricultural regions in the United States in order to assess how agricultural runoff affects the native microbial communities and if the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in sediment samples can be detected directly by sequencing. Our study provided important information on the potential for using metagenomics as a tool for assessment of public health risk in natural environments.

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Assessing the Public Health Risk of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli by Use of a Rapid Diagnostic Screening Algorithm

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.03590-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 53 (5) ◽

pp. 1588-1598 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Richard F. de Boer ◽

Mithila Ferdous ◽

Alewijn Ott ◽

Henk R. Scheper ◽

Guido J. Wisselink ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Health Risk ◽

Shiga Toxin ◽

Diagnostic Screening ◽

Public Health Risk ◽

The Public ◽

Screening Algorithm

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Urgent advice on the public health risk of Shiga-toxin producingEscherichia coliin fresh vegetables

EFSA Journal ◽

10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2274 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 2274 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Risk ◽

Shiga Toxin ◽

Public Health Risk ◽

The Public ◽

Fresh Vegetables

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The potential public health risk estimates associated with infections by Escherichia coli pathotypes, Salmonella and Campylobacter spp., in Qatar

Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Proceedings ◽

10.5339/qfarf.2012.bmp32 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. BMP32

Author(s):

Ali Sultan ◽

Korana Stipetic ◽

Jessica Hoarau-Vechot ◽

Gerald Duhamel ◽

Patrick McDonough ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Health Risk ◽

Public Health Risk ◽

Risk Estimates ◽

Potential Public Health ◽

Campylobacter Spp

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Incidence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin in Two Types of Mexican Fresh Cheeses

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-11-258 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 79-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

M. R. TORRES-VITELA ◽

M. MENDOZA-BERNARDO ◽

J. CASTRO-ROSAS ◽

C. A. GOMEZ-ALDAPA ◽

L. E. GARAY-MARTINEZ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Health Risk ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Culture Method ◽

Staphylococcal Enterotoxin ◽

Escherichia Coli O157 ◽

Milk Product ◽

Public Health Risk ◽

E Coli

Handcrafted fresh cheeses are popular among consumers in Mexico. However, unsafe raw materials and inadequate food safety practices during cheese manufacture and preservation make them a potential public health risk. The incidence of Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and staphylococcal enterotoxin was analyzed in two types of fresh cheese (panela and adobera) commonly marketed in Mexico. A total of 200 samples, 100 panela and 100 adobera, were acquired from 100 wholesale milk product distributors who supply small retailers in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Jalisco State, Mexico. Pathogens were identified using culture and immunoassay (miniVidas) methods. The presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin was determined by an immunoassay method. Of the 200 analyzed samples, 92 were positive for at least one of the pathogens. The incidence in the panela samples was 56%: 34% Salmonella, 16% E. coli O157:H7, and 6% L. monocytogenes. In the adobera samples, incidence was 36%: 20% Salmonella, 4% E. coli O157:H7, and 12% L. monocytogenes. Staphylococcal enterotoxin was not detected in any of the 200 samples. Choice of technique had no effect on detection of pathogen incidence, although the immunoassay method identified more Salmonella serotypes than the culture method. Handcrafted panela and adobera fresh cheeses in Mexico frequently contain pathogenic bacteria and therefore pose a public health risk.

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Pathogenic multiple antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli serotypes in recreational waters of Mumbai, India: a potential public health risk

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-017-8760-8 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (12) ◽

pp. 11504-11517 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Aayushi Maloo ◽

Abhay B. Fulke ◽

Najmuddin Mulani ◽

Soniya Sukumaran ◽

Anirudh Ram

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Health Risk ◽

Recreational Waters ◽

Public Health Risk ◽

Potential Public Health

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Microbial Safety of Low Water Activity Foods: Study of Simulated and Durban Household Samples

Journal of Food Quality ◽

10.1155/2017/4931521 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

O. A. Ijabadeniyi ◽

Y. Pillay

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Health Risk ◽

Water Activity ◽

Elevated Temperatures ◽

Aerobic Bacteria ◽

Cronobacter Sakazakii ◽

Public Health Risk ◽

Household Level ◽

High Sucrose

Sixty household low water activity foods were examined and a simulative study was conducted in a high sugar, low aw almond and macadamia butter to determine the survival of Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Results obtained from 60 low aw samples collected at household level had some significant differences (P≤0,05) within food categories amongst the various tests. Spices had the highest number of aerobic bacteria, aerobic spore-formers, anaerobic spore-formers, and S. aureus. Mean aerobic colony counts for nuts and spices were 2.30 log CFU/g and 4.40 log CFU/g, respectively. Pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Cronobacter sakazakii were present in nuts, whilst Salmonella spp. was present in chocolates. This implies that certain low aw foods may present a public health risk. In the simulative study, temperature and high sucrose concentrations played a significant role in the survival of B. cereus and S. aureus ATCC 25923. B. cereus was found to be more osmotolerant at both reduced and elevated temperatures (18°C and 25°C) in the 12% sucrose sample in both butters, whilst S. aureus ATCC 25923 seemed to grow better in sucrose-free samples at both temperatures in both butters. This implies that certain low aw foods may present a public health risk. Also, B. cereus, being a spore-forming bacterium, can be osmotolerant at both reduced and elevated temperatures.

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