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Prevalence and characteristics of Escherichia coil serotype O157:H7 and other verotoxin-producing E. coli in healthy cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

M. Blanco ,
J. E. Blanco ,
J. Blanco ,
E. A. Gonzalez ,
A. Mora ,
C. Prado ,
L. Fernandez ,
M. Rio ,
J. Ramos  and
M. P. Alonso
M. Blanco
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
J. E. Blanco
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
J. Blanco
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
E. A. Gonzalez
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
A. Mora
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
C. Prado
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
L. Fernandez
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
M. Rio
Affiliation:
Departamentoainenlo de Microbiologia y Parasitologia, and Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
J. Ramos
Affiliation:
Departamento de Patologia Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo
M. P. Alonso
Affiliation:
Unidad de Microbiologia, Hospital Xeral-Calde, 27004 Lugo, Spain
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From February to July of 1994, 328 faecal samples from 32 herds were collected and verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) found on 84% of the farms. The proportion of animals infected varied from 0–63%. VTEC were recovered from 52 (20%) of 257 cows and from 16 (23%) of 71 calves. Although the VTEC belonged to 25 different serogroups, 7 (O8. O20, O22, O77, O113, O126 and O162) accounted for 46% of strains. Nearly 45% of the 83 bovine VTEC strains belonged to serogroups associated with haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraernic syndrome in humans. However, only 2 (2%) of 83 VTEC strains isolated from cattle belonged to enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) serotypes (O26:H11 and O157:H7), and only 8 (10%) were positive for the attaching and effacing E. coli (eae) gene sequence. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed that 17 (20%) of VTEC strains carried VT1 genes. 43 (52%) possessed VT2 genes, and 23 (28%) carried both VT1 and VT2 genes. Characterization of VTEC isolates revelated a heterogeneous population in terms of serogroup and toxin type in the positive herds. This study confirms that healthy cattle are a reservoir of VTEC, but, the absence of eae genes in most bovine VTEC strains suggests that they may be less virulent for humans than eae-positive EHEC.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 117 , Issue 2 , October 1996 , pp. 251 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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