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Cunningham N, Jenkins C, Williams S, Garner J, Eggen B, Douglas A, Potter T, Wilson A, Leonardi G, Larkin L, Hopkins S. An outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 associated with contaminated lettuce and the cascading risks from climate change, the United Kingdom, August to September 2022. Euro Surveill 2024; 29. [PMID: 39239728 PMCID: PMC11378517 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2024.29.36.2400161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 is a food-borne pathogen which causes gastrointestinal illness in humans. Ruminants are considered the main reservoir of infection, and STEC exceedance has been associated with heavy rainfall. In September 2022, a large outbreak of STEC O157:H7 was identified in the United Kingdom (UK). A national-level investigation was undertaken to identify the source of the outbreak and inform risk mitigation strategies. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to identify outbreak cases. Overall, 259 cases with illness onset dates between 5 August and 12 October 2022, were confirmed across the UK. Epidemiological investigations supported a UK grown, nationally distributed, short shelf-life food item as the source of the outbreak. Analytical epidemiology and food chain analysis suggested lettuce as the likely vehicle of infection. Food supply chain tracing identified Grower X as the likely implicated producer. Independent of the food chain investigations, a novel geospatial analysis triangulating meteorological, flood risk, animal density and land use data was developed, also identifying Grower X as the likely source. Novel geospatial analysis and One Health approaches are potential tools for upstream data analysis to predict and prevent contamination events before they occur and to support evidence generation in outbreak investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Cunningham
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Jenkins
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Williams
- United Kingdom Field Epidemiology Training Programme, United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Garner
- United Kingdom Field Epidemiology Training Programme, United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Bernd Eggen
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Douglas
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Tina Potter
- Food Standards Agency (FSA), London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Giovanni Leonardi
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Lesley Larkin
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Hopkins
- United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, United Kingdom
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Kintz E, Brainard J, Vanderes M, Vivancos R, Byrne L, Butt S, Jenkins C, Elson R, Lake I, Hunter P. Animal and environmental risk factors for sporadic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection in England: a case control study for O157, O26 and other STEC serotypes. Pathog Glob Health 2023; 117:655-663. [PMID: 37016510 PMCID: PMC10498794 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2023.2197672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Most Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections are sporadic. Routine enhanced surveillance questionnaires of confirmed STEC cases in England contained promising data to conduct a case-control study to identify non-food exposures linked to the risk of becoming infected with different STEC serotypes, including O157, O26 and all others; this study pulled eligible cases from the recorded enhanced surveillance data. Controls were recruited from the general population and answered a comparable postal questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors associated with STEC infection for O157, O26 and other serotype cases. In adjusted models, travel outside of the U.K. and childcare occupations raised the risk of infection for all serotypes. Day trips within the UK, exposure to dogs and contact with soil were linked to lower infection risk. Resident region within England was often linked to decreased risk. Summer season was linked to O157 and O26, but not other STEC. Swimming in the sea was linked to increased risk of infection by O157, but not other types of STEC. Correlations between exposures and infection were similar when the analysis was repeated excluding participants with a history of foreign travel. As the first case-control study in England to include sporadic non-O157 STEC, the varying risk factors between O157 and non-O157 cases suggest there are potentially unique reservoirs for different serotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Kintz
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Julii Brainard
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Mike Vanderes
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Roberto Vivancos
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Field Epidemiology Services, UK Health Security Agency, Liverpool, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Lisa Byrne
- Gastrointestinal Pathogens Unit, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Saira Butt
- Gastrointestinal Pathogens Unit, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Claire Jenkins
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Gastrointestinal Pathogens Unit, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Richard Elson
- Gastrointestinal Pathogens Unit, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Iain Lake
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Paul Hunter
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Shi F, Wang B, Yan L, Wang B, Niu Y, Wang L, Sun W. In-situ growth of nitrogen-doped carbonized polymer dots on black phosphorus for electrochemical DNA biosensor of Escherichia coli O157: H7. Bioelectrochemistry 2022; 148:108226. [PMID: 36030676 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2022.108226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Sensitive and accurate detection technology for pathogenic bacteria is of great social and economic significance in foodborne disease and food safety. In this paper, a novel portable electrochemical DNA biosensor for the detection of specific DNA sequence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157: H7 was constructed. To enhance the performance of the electrochemical sensor, a functionalized nitrogen-doped carbonized polymer dots in-situ grown on few-layer black phosphorus (N-CPDs@FLBP) was synthesized and used as the modifier on the surface of screen-printed electrode. Combining gold nanoparticles as immobilization matrix and methylene blue as electrochemical indicator, the analytical performance of this electrochemical DNA biosensor was evaluated using standard complementary ssDNA sequence in the linear concentration range from 1.0 × 10-19 to 1.0 × 10-6 mol/L with a low detection limit as 3.33 × 10-20 mol/L (3 σ). Furthermore, the portable electrochemical DNA biosensor was proposed based on polymerase chain reaction amplification for the detection of the E. coli O157: H7 genomic DNA from chicken meat, which verified the feasibility for practical samples detection. The research has great theoretical and practical significance for the development of electrochemical biosensor of pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Shi
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Baoli Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China; College of Health Sciences, Hainan Technology and Business College, Haikou 570102, PR China
| | - Lijun Yan
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Tropical Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 571199, PR China
| | - Bei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Yanyan Niu
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Lisi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Wei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment and Resource Rouse of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China.
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Integrative Physiological and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism for the Repair of Sub-Lethally Injured Escherichia coli O157:H7 Induced by High Hydrostatic Pressure. Foods 2022; 11:foods11152377. [PMID: 35954143 PMCID: PMC9368309 DOI: 10.3390/foods11152377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology in the food industry has generated potential safety hazards due to sub-lethally injured (SI) pathogenic bacteria in food products. To address these problems, this study explored the repair mechanisms of HHP-induced SI Escherichia coli O157:H7. First, the repair state of SI E. coli O157:H7 (400 MPa for 5 min) was identified, which was cultured for 2 h (37 °C) in a tryptose soya broth culture medium. We found that the intracellular protein content, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, and enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ATPase) increased, and the morphology was repaired. The transcriptome was analyzed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of SI repair. Using cluster analysis, we identified 437 genes enriched in profile 1 (first down-regulated and then tending to be stable) and 731 genes in profile 2 (up-regulated after an initial down-regulation). KEGG analysis revealed that genes involved in cell membrane biosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathways were enriched in profile 2, whereas cell-wall biosynthesis was enriched in profile 1. These findings provide insights into the repair process of SI E. coli O157:H7 induced by HHP.
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Evidence of on-going transmission of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 following a foodborne outbreak. Epidemiol Infect 2021; 149:e147. [PMID: 34096488 PMCID: PMC8251666 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268821001278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In August 2019, public health surveillance systems in Scotland and England identified seven, geographically dispersed cases infected with the same strain (defined as isolates that fell within the same five single nucleotide polymorphism single linage cluster) of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7. Epidemiological analysis of enhanced surveillance questionnaire data identified handling raw beef and shopping from the same national retailer (retailer A) as the common exposure. Concurrently, a microbiological survey of minced beef at retail identified the same strain in a sample of minced beef sold by retailer A, providing microbiological evidence of the link. Between September and November 2019, a further four primary and two secondary cases infected with the same strain were identified; two cases developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome. None of the four primary cases reported consumption of beef from retailer A and the transmission route of these subsequent cases was not identified, although all four primary cases visited the same petting farm. Generally, outbreaks of STEC O157:H7 in the UK appear to be distinct, short-lived events; however, on-going transmission linked to contaminated food, animals or environmental exposures and person-to-person contact do occur. Although outbreaks of STEC caused by contaminated fresh produce are increasingly common, undercooked meat products remain a risk of infection.
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Xia J, Qiu S, Zeng H, Liu C, Liu Q. A rapid detection of
Escherichia coli
O157
:
H7
by competition visual antigen macroarray. J Food Saf 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jfs.12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Junfang Xia
- School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Shanghai China
- College of Food Science and Pharmacy Xinjiang Agricultural University Urumqi China
| | - Shi Qiu
- School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Shanghai China
| | - Haijuan Zeng
- School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Shanghai China
| | - Cheng Liu
- School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Shanghai China
| | - Qing Liu
- School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering University of Shanghai for Science and Technology Shanghai China
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