Genetic Relatedness ofEscherichia coliO157 Isolates from Cattle Feces and Preintervention Beef Carcasses

Virulence characterization and molecular subtyping of typical and atypical Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O157:H(-) isolated from fecal samples and beef carcasses in Mexico

The objective of the study was to characterize virulence genes and subtype Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O157:H( 2 ) isolates obtained from a vertically integrated feedlot slaughter plant in Mexico. A total of 1,695 samples were collected from feedlots, holding pens, colon contents, hides, and carcasses. E. coli O157:H7 detection and confirmation was carried out using conventional microbiology techniques, immunomagnetic separation, latex agglutination, and the BAX system. A total of 97 E. coli O157 strains were recovered and screened for key virulence and metabolic genes using multiplex and conventional PCR. Eighty-eight (91.72%) of the strains carried stx2, eae, and ehxA genes. Ten isolates (8.25%) were atypical sorbitol-fermenting strains, and nine were negative for the flicH7 gene and lacked eae, stx1, stx2, and ehxA. One sorbitol-positive strain carried stx2, eae, tir, toxB, and iha genes but was negative for stx1 and ehxA. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis yielded 49 different PFGE subtypes, showing a high genetic diversity; however, the majority of the typical isolates were closely related (80 to 90% cutoff). Atypical O157 isolates were not closely related within them or to typical E. coli O157:H7 isolates. Identical PFGE subtypes were found in samples obtained from colon contents, feedlots, holding pens, and carcasses. Isolation of a sorbitolfermenting E. coli O157 positive for a number of virulence genes is a novel finding in Mexico. These data showed that genetically similar strains of E. coli O157:H7 can be found at various stages of beef production and highlights the importance of preventing cross-contamination at the pre- and postharvest stages of processing.

Perspectives on super-shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by cattle

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes illness in humans worldwide. Cattle are the primary reservoir of this bacterium, with the concentration and frequency of E. coli O157:H7 shedding varying greatly among individuals. The term "super-shedder" has been applied to cattle that shed concentrations of E. coli O157:H7 ≥ 10⁴ colony-forming units/g feces. Super-shedders have been reported to have a substantial impact on the prevalence and transmission of E. coli O157:H7 in the environment. The specific factors responsible for super-shedding are unknown, but are presumably mediated by characteristics of the bacterium, animal host, and environment. Super-shedding is sporadic and inconsistent, suggesting that biofilms of E. coli O157:H7 colonizing the intestinal epithelium in cattle are intermittently released into feces. Phenotypic and genotypic differences have been noted in E. coli O157:H7 recovered from super-shedders as compared to low-shedding cattle, including differences in phage type (PT21/28), carbon utilization, degree of clonal relatedness, tir polymorphisms, and differences in the presence of stx2a and stx2c, as well as antiterminator Q gene alleles. There is also some evidence to support that the native fecal microbiome is distinct between super-shedders and low-shedders and that low-shedders have higher levels of lytic phage within feces. Consequently, conditions within the host may determine whether E. coli O157:H7 can proliferate sufficiently for the host to obtain super-shedding status. Targeting super-shedders for mitigation of E. coli O157:H7 has been proposed as a means of reducing the incidence and spread of this pathogen to the environment. If super-shedders could be easily identified, strategies such as bacteriophage therapy, probiotics, vaccination, or dietary inclusion of plant secondary compounds could be specifically targeted at this subpopulation. Evidence that super-shedder isolates share a commonality with isolates linked to human illness makes it imperative that the etiology of this phenomenon be characterized.

Characterization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains from contaminated raw beef trim during "high event periods"

The development and implementation of effective antimicrobial interventions by the beef processing industry in the United States have dramatically reduced the incidence of beef trim contamination by Escherichia coli O157:H7. However, individual processing plants still experience sporadic peaks in contamination rates where multiple E. coli O157:H7-positive lots are clustered in a short time frame. These peaks have been referred to as "high event periods" (HEP) of contamination. The results reported here detail the characterization of E. coli O157:H7 isolates from 21 HEP across multiple companies and processing plants to gain insight regarding the mechanisms causing these incidents. Strain genotypes were determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and isolates were investigated for characteristics linking them to human illness. Through these analyses, it was determined that individual HEP show little to no diversity in strain genotypes. Hence, each HEP has one strain type that makes up most, if not all, of the contamination. This is shown to differ from the genotypic diversity of E. coli O157:H7 found on the hides of cattle entering processing plants. In addition, it was found that a large proportion (81%) of HEP are caused by strain types associated with human illness. These results pose a potential challenge to the current model for finished product contamination during beef processing.

Prevalence and relatedness of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in the feces and on the hides and carcasses of U.S. meat goats at slaughter

We determined the prevalences of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feces, hide, and carcasses of meat goats at a U.S. processing plant. Prevalences were 11.1%, 2.7%, and 2.7%, respectively. Sixteen pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtypes were identified among 49 E. coli O157:H7 isolates, some of which were present on multiple sample types or collection days.

Genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance among isolates of Escherichia coli O157: H7 from feces and hides of super-shedders and low-shedding pen-mates in two commercial beef feedlots

Background

Cattle shedding at least 10⁴ CFU Escherichia coli O157:H7/g feces are described as super-shedders and have been shown to increase transmission of E. coli O157:H7 to other cattle in feedlots. This study investigated relationships among fecal isolates from super-shedders (n = 162), perineal hide swab isolates (PS) from super-shedders (n = 137) and fecal isolates from low-shedder (< 10⁴ CFU/g feces) pen-mates (n = 496) using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A subsample of these fecal isolates (n = 474) was tested for antimicrobial resistance. Isolates of E. coli O157:H7 were obtained from cattle in pens (avg. 181 head) at 2 commercial feedlots in southern Alberta with each steer sampled at entry to the feedlot and prior to slaughter.

Results

Only 1 steer maintained super-shedder status at both samplings, although approximately 30% of super-shedders in sampling 1 had low-shedder status at sampling 2. A total of 85 restriction endonuclease digestion clusters (REPC; 90% or greater similarity) and 86 unique isolates (< 90% similarity) were detected, with the predominant REPC (30% of isolates) being isolated from cattle in all feedlot pens, although it was not associated with shedding status (super- or low-shedder; P = 0.94). Only 2/21 super-shedders had fecal isolates in the same REPC at both samplings. Fecal and PS isolates from individual super-shedders generally belonged to different REPCs, although fecal isolates of E. coli O157:H7 from super- and low-shedders showed greater similarity (P < 0.001) than those from PS. For 77% of super-shedders, PFGE profiles of super-shedder fecal and PS isolates were distinct from all low-shedder fecal isolates collected in the same pen. A low level of antimicrobial resistance (3.7%) was detected and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance did not differ among super- and low-shedder isolates (P = 0.69), although all super-shedder isolates with antimicrobial resistance (n = 3) were resistant to multiple antimicrobials.

Conclusions

Super-shedders did not have increased antimicrobial resistance compared to low-shedder pen mates. Our data demonstrated that PFGE profiles of individual super-shedders varied over time and that only 1/162 steers remained a super-shedder at 2 samplings. In these two commercial feedlots, PFGE subtypes of E. coli O157:H7 from fecal isolates of super- and low-shedders were frequently different as were subtypes of fecal and perineal hide isolates from super-shedders.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 genetic diversity in bovine fecal samples

Escherichia coli O157:H7 causes foodborne illness in humans; cattle are considered a primary reservoir for the organism, and transmission is often through contaminated food products or water. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of E. coli O157:H7 within a single individual bovine fecal sample based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing. Fecal samples (n=601) were collected from dairy and beef cattle at three separate facilities, and E. coli O157:H7 was isolated by enrichment, immunomagnetic separation, and plating on selective medium. The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 46 (7.7%) of 601. From each positive fecal sample, up to 10 putative colonies were tested, and isolates from samples with at least seven positive colonies were subtyped using PFGE and tested for six major virulence genes by multiplex PCR. A total of 254 E. coli O157:H7 isolates from 27 samples met these criteria and were included in PFGE analysis. Fifteen PFGE subtypes (<100% Dice similarity) were detected among the 254 isolates, and there were no common subtypes between the three locations. Seven (26%) of 27 fecal samples had E. coli O157:H7 isolates with different PFGE subtypes (mean=2.1) within the same sample. The virulence gene profiles of different isolates from the same sample were always identical, regardless of the number of PFGE types. The results of this study suggest that determining the PFGE pattern of a single isolate from a bovine sample may not be sufficient when comparing isolates from feces, hides, or carcasses, because multiple PFGE subtypes are present.

Diversity of multidrug-resistant salmonella enterica strains associated with cattle at harvest in the United States

The prevalence and diversity of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica strains associated with cattle at harvest in the United States were examined. Hides and carcasses of cattle were sampled at processing plants (n = 6) located in four geographically distant regions from July 2005 to April 2006. The mean prevalences of Salmonella on hides, preevisceration carcasses (immediately after hide removal), and postintervention carcasses (in the chiller and after the full complement of interventions) were 89.6%, 50.2%, and 0.8%, respectively. The values for MDR Salmonella enterica strains (defined as those resistant to two or more antimicrobials) as percentages of Salmonella prevalence were 16.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.3 to 25.1%; median percent prevalence, 6.9%), 11.7% (95% CI, 4.4 to 19.0%; median, 4.8%), and 0.33% (95% CI, -0.3 to 0.70%; median, 0%), respectively. In this study, 16,218 Salmonella hide and carcass isolates were screened for antimicrobial resistance. Of these, 978 (6.0%) unique MDR S. enterica isolates were identified and serotyped and their XbaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles determined. The predominant MDR S. enterica serotypes observed were Newport (53.1%), Typhimurium (16.6%), and Uganda (10.9%). Differences in MDR S. enterica prevalence were detected, and PFGE analysis revealed both epidemic clusters (profiles found in plants in multiple regions/seasons) and endemic clusters (profiles observed in plants in limited regions/seasons) within several of the MDR serotypes examined. Despite these differences, multiple-hurdle processing interventions employed at all plants were found to be quite effective and decreased Salmonella carcass contamination by 98.4% (95% CI, 97.6 to 99.7%).

Animal- and truckload-level associations between Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feces and on hides at harvest and contamination of preevisceration beef carcasses

Cattle feces and hides contribute to carcass contamination with Escherichia coli O157:H7, ultimately impacting beef safety. Primary objectives of our cross-sectional study were to evaluate associations among fecal, hide, and preevisceration carcass prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 and to assess factors affecting carcass contamination. Fecal, hide, and preevisceration carcass samples were collected from up to 32 cattle on each of 45 truckloads presented to a midwestern U.S. abattoir. Enrichment and selective culture were used to assess fecal, hide, and carcass prevalence, and direct plating was used to identify cattle shedding high levels of E. coli O157:H7 in feces. Fecal, hide, and carcass prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 within truckload were significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with each other. Enriched fecal sample prevalence was 13.8%, and high shedder prevalence was 3.3%; 38.5% of hides and 10.5% of carcasses were positive for E. coli O157:H7. We used logistic regression to assess animal- and truckload-level variables affecting the probability of carcasses testing positive for E. coli O157:H7. All truckload-level predictors significantly affected the probability of an E. coli O157:H7-positive carcass, including presence of a high shedder within the truckload (odds ratio [OR] = 4.0; confidence interval [CI], 1.6 to 10.1), high (>25%) within-truckload fecal prevalence (OR = 19.3; CI, 4.7 to 79.0), and high (>50%) within-truckload hide prevalence (OR = 7.7; CI, 3.1 to 19.6). The only significant animal-level predictor was having a positive hide (OR = 1.6; CI, 1.0 to 2.6). Our results suggest that preharvest interventions for reducing E. coli O157:H7 contamination of carcasses should focus on truckload (cohort)-level and hide mitigation strategies.