Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 in beefburgers linked to an outbreak of diarrhoea, haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome in Britain.
Vero cytotoxin (VT)-producing Escherichia coli O157 (O157 VTEC) were isolated from a raw beefburger obtained from a retail source linked to a small community outbreak of O157 VTEC infection in Wales. Strains from the meat and from seven of eight patients belonged to phage type 49 and were indistinguishable by their VT-type, plasmid content and hybridization with DNA of a VT-encoding phage from an O157 VTEC strain. This first report of the isolation of O157 VTEC from a beef product in Britain supports the view that there is a bovine reservoir for this organism.
Willshaw
G A
GA
Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, UK.
Thirlwell
J
J
Jones
A P
AP
Parry
S
S
Salmon
R L
RL
Hickey
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D003092:Colitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1