title: The prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in domestic animals and food in Serbia.
abstract: Faecal samples of 2660 domestic animals from 116 farms and 956 samples of food were examined for the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). STEC was recovered from 126 (15.3%) cattle, 135 (11.3%) pigs, 135 (66.8%) sheep, 31 (73.8%) goats, 4 (1%) chicken, and 15 (1.6%) food samples. Of all STEC isolates, 21.5, 25.8 and 15% produced enterohaemolysin, alpha-haemolysin, and aerobactin respectively, 1.6% displayed localized adherence (LA) to HEp-2 cells, 27.6% were sorbitol negative, and 30% were resistant to antibiotics. Only 14 (3.1%) of the STEC isolates belonged to human infection-associated serogroups (O26, O55, O111, O128 and 0157), designated as enterohaemorrhagic E. coil (EHEC). This study revealed that STEC are prevalent in domestic animals, and to a lesser extent in food of animal origin in Serbia, but the absence of a EHEC phenotypic profile (characteristic serogroup, LA, enterohaemolysin production) in most animal STEC strains may explain the low incidence of human STEC infection in this part of the world.
authors.affiliation: Military Medical Academy, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Crnotravska 17, 11002 Belgrade, Serbia, Serbia & Montenegro. cobelic@eunet.yu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cobeljić
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dimić
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Opacić
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lepsanović
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stojanović
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lazić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010641:Phenotype; D015995:Prevalence; D012703:Serotyping; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D022603:Shiga Toxins