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A long-term study on the prevalence of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) on four German cattle farms

2002; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 129; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0950268802007288

1469-4409

Lutz Geue, M. Segura-Alvarez, Franz J. Conraths, Thorsten Kuczius, J Bockemühl, Helge Karch, P. Gallien,

Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research

The occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) was studied on four cattle farms. STEC were detected in 29–82% of the cattle. STEC with additional EHEC markers were detected on all farms. The occurrence of the complete virulence marker pattern ( stx1 and/or stx2 , eae, EHEC hlyA , katP, espP ) was correlated with the presence of known STEC serotypes. STEC O26[ratio ]H11 and O165[ratio ]H25 with the complete pattern of virulence markers were the most prevalent. STEC O157 (H7/H-) STEC O103[ratio ]H2 and STEC O145[ratio ]H- were found sporadically. Five clonal subgroups of the STEC O26[ratio ]H11 isolates were identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. STEC O26[ratio ]H11 were present in three groups of cattle. This serotype was detected in a single group over the entire fattening period. Most STEC O26[ratio ]H11 with the complete pattern of potential virulence markers were found in clinically healthy cattle. These animals may represent a risk factor for farmers and consumers.