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...

Bacteriophage CEV1 was isolated from sheep resistant to Escherichia coli O157:H7 colonization. In vitro, CEV1 efficiently infected E. coli O157:H7 grown both aerobically and anaerobically. In vivo, sheep receiving a single oral dose of CEV1 showed a 2-log-unit reduction in intestinal E. coli O157:H7 levels within 2 days compared to levels in the controls.

Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 occurrence was determined along the entire gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of each of four naturally shedding cattle and at three sites in 61 slaughter cattle. STEC O157 was distributed along the entire GIT, though interanimal distribution was variable. Neither feces nor rectoanal-junction samples accurately predicted the STEC O157-negative status of an...

Modified tryptic soy broth, lauryl sulfate tryptose broth, modified EC broth, sorbitol MacConkey agar and Fluorocult E. coli O157 agar were tested for the recovery of 3 strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 against E. coli type 1 and Citrobacter freundii as common competitive microflora of raw meat products. Two-stepped trials showed that modified EC broth and lauryl sulfate tryptose broth were s...

A novel phage, Φ241, specific for Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from an industrial cucumber fermentation where both acidity (pH ≤ 3.7) and salinity (≥5% NaCl) were high. The phage belongs to the Myoviridae family. Its latent period was 15 min and average burst size was 53 phage particles per infected cell. The phage was able to lyse 48 E. coli O157:H7 strains, but none of the 18 non-O15...

Several outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections have been associated with minimally processed leafy vegetables in the United States. Harvesting and processing cause plant tissue damage. In order to assess the role of plant tissue damage in the contamination of leafy greens with E. coli O157:H7, the effect of mechanical, physiological, and plant disease-induced lesions on the growth of ...

The survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feces from steers fed corn (CO) or barley (BA) was evaluated at -10, +4 and +22 degrees C. Fecal pats were inoculated with a four-strain mixture of nalidixic-acid resistant E. coli O157:H7 at two levels: 10(3) CFU g(-1) (low, L) and 105 CFU g(-1) (high, H). At -10 degrees C, duration of survival of E. coli O157:H7 was reduced (p < 0.05) in CO-L (35 da...

A culture method to detect non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) was optimized in this study. The finished dairy compost with 30% moisture content was inoculated with a cocktail of six non-O157 STEC serovars at initial concentrations of 1 to 100 CFU/g. Afterward, non-O157 STEC cells in the inoculated dairy compost were enriched by four methods, followed by plating onto cefixime...

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 disease associated with animal exhibits have been reported with increasing frequency. Transmission can occur through contact with contaminated haircoats, bedding, farm structures, or water. We investigated the distribution and survival of E. coli O157:H7 in the immediate environments of individually housed, experimentally inoculated cattle by systematically...

E. coli O157:H7 is recognised as an important human pathogen world-wide and has been associated with diseases such as haemorrhagic colitis (HC), haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP). Accurate laboratory detection of E. coli O157:H7 is important for diagnostic purposes and to justify epidemiological data on E. coli O157:H7. A well-known phenotypic char...