Cattle hides are a main source of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) contamination of beef carcasses.
The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the prevalence of “top 6” non-O157 plus O157:H7 EHEC (EHEC-7) on feedlot cattle hides and their matched preintervention carcasses; (2) assess the agreement among detection methods for these matrices; and (3) conduct a molecular risk assessment of EHEC-7 isolates. Samples from 576 feedlot cattle were obtained at a commercial harvest facility and tested for EHEC-7 by a culture-based method and the polymerase chain reaction/mass spectrometry–based NeoSEEK™ STEC Detection and Identification test (NS).
Prevalence data were analyzed with generalized linear mixed models. The cumulative prevalence of EHEC-7 in hide samples as detected by NS was 80.7%, with a distribution of 49.9%, O145; 37.1%, O45; 12.5%, O103; 11.0%, O157; 2.2%, O111; 2.0%, O121; and 0.2%, O26. In contrast, the cumulative prevalence of EHEC-7 in hide samples by culture was 1.2%, with a distribution of 0.6%, O157; 0.4%, O26; 0.2%, O145; and 0%, O45, O103, O111, and O121.
The cumulative prevalence of EHEC-7 on matched preintervention carcasses as detected by NS was 6.0%, with a distribution of 2.8%, O157; 1.6%, O145; 1.2%, O103; 1.1%, O45; 0.2%, O26; and 0.0%, O111 and O121. Although the culture-based method detected fewer positive hide samples than NS, it detected EHEC in five hide samples that tested negative for the respective organism by NS.
McNemar’s chi-square tests indicated significant (p<0.05) disagreement between methods. All EHEC-7 isolates recovered from hides were seropathotype A or B, with compatible virulence gene content.
This study indicates that “top 6” and O157:H7 EHEC are present on hides, and to a lesser extent, preintervention carcasses of feedlot cattle at harvest. However, continued improvement in non-O157 detection methods is needed for accurate estimation of prevalence, given the discordant results across protocols.
Prevalence of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157 on hides and preintervention carcass surfaces of feedlot cattle at harvest
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, ahead of print. doi:10.1089/fpd.2015.1945.
Stromberg Zachary R., Baumann Nicholas W., Lewis Gentry L., Sevart Nicholas J., Cernicchiaro Natalia, Renter David G., Marx David B., Phebus Randall K., and Moxley Rodney A.
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2015.1945