Abstract
Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a zoonotic food- and waterborne bacterial pathogen that causes a high hospitalization rate and can cause lifethreatening complications. Increasingly, E. coli O157:H7 infections appear to originate from fresh produce. Ruminants, such as cattle, are a prominent reservoir of E. coli O157:H7 in the United States. California is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world for fresh produce, beef, and milk. The close proximity of fresh produce and cattle presents food safety challenges on a uniquely large scale. We performed a survey of E. coli O157:H7 on 20 farms in California to observe the regional diversity and prevalence of E. coli O157:H7. Isolates were obtained from enrichment cultures of cow feces. Some farms were sampled on two dates. Genomes from isolates were sequenced to determine their relatedness and pathogenic potential. E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from approximately half of the farms. The point prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on farms was highly variable, ranging from zero to nearly 90%. Within farms, generally one or a few lineages were found, even when the rate of isolation was high. On farms with high isolation rates, a single clonal lineage accounted for most of the isolates. Farms that were visited months after the first visit might have had the same lineages of E. coli O157:H7. Strains of E. coli O157:H7 may be persistent for months on farms.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | e00734-17 |
| Journal | Applied and Environmental Microbiology |
| Volume | 83 |
| Issue number | 16 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- California
- Cattle
- Escherichia coli
- Food-borne pathogens
- Genomics
- O157:H7
- STEC
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biotechnology
- Food Science
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Ecology
Cite this
Prevalence and genomic characterization of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 in cow-calf herds throughout California. / Worley, Jay N.; Flores, Kristopher A.; Yang, Xun; Chase, Jennifer A.; Cao, Guojie; Tang, Shuai; Meng, Jianghong; Atwill, Edward R.
In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 83, No. 16, e00734-17, 01.08.2017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and genomic characterization of Escherichia coli O157
T2 - H7 in cow-calf herds throughout California
AU - Worley, Jay N.
AU - Flores, Kristopher A.
AU - Yang, Xun
AU - Chase, Jennifer A.
AU - Cao, Guojie
AU - Tang, Shuai
AU - Meng, Jianghong
AU - Atwill, Edward R
PY - 2017/8/1
Y1 - 2017/8/1
N2 - Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a zoonotic food- and waterborne bacterial pathogen that causes a high hospitalization rate and can cause lifethreatening complications. Increasingly, E. coli O157:H7 infections appear to originate from fresh produce. Ruminants, such as cattle, are a prominent reservoir of E. coli O157:H7 in the United States. California is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world for fresh produce, beef, and milk. The close proximity of fresh produce and cattle presents food safety challenges on a uniquely large scale. We performed a survey of E. coli O157:H7 on 20 farms in California to observe the regional diversity and prevalence of E. coli O157:H7. Isolates were obtained from enrichment cultures of cow feces. Some farms were sampled on two dates. Genomes from isolates were sequenced to determine their relatedness and pathogenic potential. E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from approximately half of the farms. The point prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on farms was highly variable, ranging from zero to nearly 90%. Within farms, generally one or a few lineages were found, even when the rate of isolation was high. On farms with high isolation rates, a single clonal lineage accounted for most of the isolates. Farms that were visited months after the first visit might have had the same lineages of E. coli O157:H7. Strains of E. coli O157:H7 may be persistent for months on farms.
AB - Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a zoonotic food- and waterborne bacterial pathogen that causes a high hospitalization rate and can cause lifethreatening complications. Increasingly, E. coli O157:H7 infections appear to originate from fresh produce. Ruminants, such as cattle, are a prominent reservoir of E. coli O157:H7 in the United States. California is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world for fresh produce, beef, and milk. The close proximity of fresh produce and cattle presents food safety challenges on a uniquely large scale. We performed a survey of E. coli O157:H7 on 20 farms in California to observe the regional diversity and prevalence of E. coli O157:H7. Isolates were obtained from enrichment cultures of cow feces. Some farms were sampled on two dates. Genomes from isolates were sequenced to determine their relatedness and pathogenic potential. E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from approximately half of the farms. The point prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 on farms was highly variable, ranging from zero to nearly 90%. Within farms, generally one or a few lineages were found, even when the rate of isolation was high. On farms with high isolation rates, a single clonal lineage accounted for most of the isolates. Farms that were visited months after the first visit might have had the same lineages of E. coli O157:H7. Strains of E. coli O157:H7 may be persistent for months on farms.
KW - California
KW - Cattle
KW - Escherichia coli
KW - Food-borne pathogens
KW - Genomics
KW - O157:H7
KW - STEC
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85026498042&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85026498042&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/AEM.00734-17
DO - 10.1128/AEM.00734-17
M3 - Article
C2 - 28550057
AN - SCOPUS:85026498042
VL - 83
JO - Applied and Environmental Microbiology
JF - Applied and Environmental Microbiology
SN - 0099-2240
IS - 16
M1 - e00734-17
ER -