The prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 associated with feedlot cattle in Saskatchewan was determined in a 10-month longitudinal study (3 feedlots) and a point prevalence study (20 feedlots). The prevalence of E. coli O157 at the three different sites in the horizontal study varied from 2.5 to 45%. The point prevalence of E. coli O157 among Saskatchewan cattle from 20 different feedlots ranged ...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) is recognized as a hazardous microorganism in the environment and for public health. The E. coli O157:H7 survival dynamics were investigated in 12 representative soils from Jiangsu Province, where the largest E. coli O157:H7 infection in China occurred. It was observed that E. coli O157:H7 declined rapidly in acidic soils (pH, 4.57 - 5.14) but slowly i...

Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important cause of diarrheal disease. The most notorious STEC serotype is O157:H7, which is associated with hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). As a result, this serotype is routinely screened for in clinical microbiology laboratories. With the bias toward the identification of the O157 serogroup in routine diagnostic processes,...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A diverse group of Escherichia coli are known as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) including O157:H7 and non-O157 EHEC. Enterohemorrhagic strains are related to sever clinical conditions in humans including hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome, and most of the recorded outbreaks occurred due to O157: H7 E. coli. The aim of the present study was to ...

Immunosuppressed persons such as HIV/AIDS patients are at risk of acquiring diarrhoeal infections from water-borne E. coli O157:H7. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in drinking water collected from selected distribution systems within the Amathole District of the Eastern Cape and its predicted impact on diarrhoeic conditions of HIV/AIDS persons living in t...

Although O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are the predominant cause of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) in the world, non-O157:H7 serotypes are a medically important cause of HUS that are underdetected by current diagnostic approaches. Because Shiga toxin is necessary but not sufficient to cause HUS, identifying the virulence determinants that predict severe disease after no...

A survey was performed to estimate the frequency of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 or O157:nonmotile (EHEC O157) in feces and on hides within groups of fed cattle from single sources (lots) presented for slaughter at meat processing plants in the Midwestern United States, as well as frequency of carcass contamination during processing from cattle within the same lots. Of 29 lots sam...

OBJECTIVE To elucidate the extent of food contamination by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 in Eastern China. METHODS A total of 1100 food and animal fecal samples were screened for EHEC O157. Then, molecular characterization of each isolate was determined. RESULTS EHEC O157 was isolated as follows: pig feces, 4% (20/500); cattle feces, 3.3% (2/60); chicken feces, 1.43% (2/140...

Non-sorbitol-fermenting (NSF) Escherichia coli O157:H7 is the primary Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype associated with human infection. Since 1988, sorbitol-fermenting (SF) STEC O157:NM strains have emerged and have been associated with a higher incidence of progression to hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) than NSF STEC O157:H7. This study investigated bacterial factors that may acco...

Polymorphic Amplified Typing Sequences (PATS) is a PCR-based Escherichia coli O157 (O157) strain typing system. Here, we show that PATS compares excellently with Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) in that both methods cluster geographically diverse O157 isolates similarly. Comparative analysis of the results obtained in this simulated "blind" study attests to the discriminating power and a...