A preliminary study of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157, Enterococcus faecalis and Clostridium spp. in Irish cattle

Although Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecalis and Clostridium spp. present a significant food safety and/or spoilage issue for the beef sector, there are limited data on their prevalence in Irish cattle. The objectives of this preliminary study were to investigate distribution (percentage farms positive) E. L. overall (%) these bacteria cattle small cohort farms. A total 121 fresh bovine faecal samples obtained 10 randomly selected Northeast Ireland tested target pathogens using standard culture-based methods. Presumptive positives confirmed previously published polymerase chain reaction (PCR) not detected any samples. 50%, 40%, 100% farms, respectively, with (all farms) rates 9%, 8.2%, 61.9% 87.6%, respectively. This suggests that O157 may be more prevalent than thought widespread animals.