Concentration and Prevalence of <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157 in Cattle Feces at Slaughter

Abstract

The concentration and prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle feces at the time of slaughter was studied over a 9-week period from May to July 2002. Fecal samples (n = 589) were collected from the rectums of slaughtered cattle, and the animal-level prevalence rate was estimated to be 7.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.4 to 9.6%) while the group prevalence was 40.4% (95% CI, 27.7 to 53.2%). Of the 44 infected animals detected, 9% were high shedders that contained E. coli O157 at concentrations of >10(4) CFU g(-1). These 9% represented >96% of the total E. coli O157 produced by all animals tested. All isolates possessed the vt(2) gene, 39 had the eaeA gene, and a further five had the vt(1) gene also. The presence of high-shedding animals at the abattoir increases the potential risk of meat contamination during the slaughtering process and stresses the need for correctly implemented hazard analysis and critical control point procedures.