Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157 in agricultural fair livestock, United States.
Agricultural fairs exhibiting livestock are increasingly implicated in human Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) outbreaks. To estimate livestock STEC O157:H7 prevalence at US fairs, we collected 2,919 fecal specimens at 29 county fairs in 2 states and at 3 state fairs in 2002. Fly pools were also collected. STEC O157:H7 was isolated from livestock at 31 (96.9%) of 32 fairs, including 11.4% of 1,407 cattle, 1.2% of 1,102 swine, 3.6% of 364 sheep and goats, and 5.2% of 154 fly pools. Cattle, swine, and flies at some fairs shared indistinguishable STEC O157:H7 isolate subtypes. In 2003, a total of 689 ambient environmental samples were collected at 20 fairgrounds 10-11 months after 2002 livestock sampling while fairgrounds were livestock-free. Four beef barn environmental samples at 3 fairgrounds yielded STEC O157:H7. These data suggest that STEC O157 is common and transmissible among livestock displayed at agricultural fairs and persists in the environment after the fair.
Keen
James E
JE
Agricultural Research Service, US Meat Animal Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA. keen@email.marc.usda.gov
Wittum
Thomas E
TE
Dunn
John R
JR
Bono
James L
JL
Durso
Lisa M
LM
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology*; D002417:Cattle; D004175:Diptera / Q000382:microbiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000662:veterinary; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D012756:Sheep; D022621:Shiga Toxin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013552:Swine; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015047:Zoonoses
D022621:Shiga Toxin