To the Editor: Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are an important cause of severe human disease. Although most infections are caused by strains of serogroup O157, STEC pathogenic to humans may belong to other serogroups usually referred to as non-O157 STEC. Recently, Tarr et al. (1) and Acheson et al. (2) described infections attributable to STEC O103 and expressed concer...

In Mexico, diarrheal disease due to different serotypes of Escherichia coli is highly prevalent, with only sporadic isolation of O157 non-H7 strains. This could be due to exposure to the O157 or related E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), such as O7 or O116, at an early age. By using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting, the present study analyzed 605 serum samples from ...

Farm animal manure or manure slurry may disseminate, transmit, or propagate Escherichia coli O157:H7. In this study, the survival and growth of E. coli O157:H7 in ovine or bovine feces under various experimental and environmental conditions were determined. A manure pile collected from experimentally inoculated sheep was incubated outside under fluctuating environmental conditions. E. coli O157...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) are significant foodborne pathogens and pose a serious threat to public health worldwide. The major reservoirs of O157 are asymptomatic cattle which harbor the organism in the terminal recto-anal junction (RAJ). Some colonized animals, referred to as "super-shedders" (SS), are known to shed O157 in exceptionally large numbers (>104 CFU/g of ...

Recent research has established that the terminal rectum is the predominant colonization site of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle. The main aim of the present work was to investigate pathological changes and associated immune responses at this site in animals colonized with E. coli O157:H7. Tissue and gastrointestinal samples from a total of 22 weaned Holstein-cross calves c...

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA was carried out on Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains from different geographic locations to determine its value in an epidemiological survey of O157 infections. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of XbaI-digested DNA fragments clearly separated E. coli O157:H7 strains from nontoxigenic E. coli O157:H19, O157:H43, and O157:H45 strains and from Shiga-l...

A rapid and reproducible fiber-optic immunosensor for Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) was described. The biosensor consisted of a flow cell, an optical fiber with a thin Ni layer, and a PC linked fluorometer. First, the samples with E. coli O157:H7 were incubated with magnetic beads coated with anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibodies and anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibodies labeled cyanine 5 (Cy5...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a food-borne pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and, occasionally, hemolytic uremic syndrome, a sequela of infection that can result in renal failure and death. Here we sought to model the pathogenesis of orally-administered E. coli O157:H7 in BALB/c mice with an intact intestinal flora. First, we defined the optimal dose that permitted sustained fecal shedd...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EC O157) is an important cause of foodborne disease. Cattle are reservoirs for the bacteria and are implicated in transmission to humans. Prevalence data in prefeedlot calves are limited. With the use of sensitive methods, a cohort of weaned beef calves (n = 408) was sampled before and after preconditioning to estimate fecal point prevalence and describe changes in EC ...