Prevalence and characteristics of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in finishing pigs: Implications on public health

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important food-borne pathogens, which can cause serious illnesses, including hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. To study the epidemiology of STEC in finishing pigs and examine the potential risks they pose for human STEC infections, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of food microbiology 2018-01, Vol.264, p.8-15
Main Authors: Cha, Wonhee, Fratamico, Pina M., Ruth, Leah E., Bowman, Andrew S., Nolting, Jacqueline M., Manning, Shannon D., Funk, Julie A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adhesins, Bacterial - genetics
Animals
Cohort
Colitis
E coli
Edema
Epidemiology
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli Infections
Escherichia coli Proteins - genetics
Feces - microbiology
Finishing
Finishing pigs
Food contamination
Foodborne Diseases - microbiology
Hemolytic uremic syndrome
Hemorrhage
Hogs
Humans
Illnesses
Infections
Longitudinal Studies
Pathogenicity
Pathogens
Prevalence
Public Health
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Serogroup
Serotypes
Shedding
Shedding duration
Shiga toxin
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli - classification
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli - genetics
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli - isolation & purification
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli - pathogenicity
Sus scrofa - microbiology
Swine
Toxins
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Summary:Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important food-borne pathogens, which can cause serious illnesses, including hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. To study the epidemiology of STEC in finishing pigs and examine the potential risks they pose for human STEC infections, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study in three finishing sites. Six cohorts of pigs (2 cohorts/site, 20 pigs/cohort) were randomly selected, and fecal samples (n=898) were collected every two weeks through their finishing period. Eighty-two pigs (68.3%) shed STEC at least once, and the proportion of STEC-positive pigs varied across sites (50–97.5%) and cohorts (15–100%). Clinically important serotypes, O157:H7 (stx2c, eae) and O26:H11 (stx1a, eae), were recovered from two pigs at sites C and A, respectively. The most common serotype isolated was O59:H21 (stx2e), which was particularly prevalent in site B as it was recovered from all STEC positive pigs (n=39). Each cohort showed different patterns of STEC shedding, which were associated with the prevalent serotype. The median shedding duration of STEC in pigs was 28days, consistent with our prior study. However, among pigs shedding O59:H21 at least once, pigs in cohort B2 had a significantly longer shedding duration of 42days (P
ISSN:0168-1605
1879-3460
DOI:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.10.017