title: Short communication: Detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in healthy cattle and pigs in Lima, Peru.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle and pigs as a possible STEC reservoir in Lima, Peru. One hundred and fourteen cattle and 112 pigs from 10 and 4 farms, respectively, were studied. Five E. coli colonies per culture were studied by a multiplex real-time PCR to identify Shiga toxin-producing (stx1, stx2, eaeA), enterotoxigenic (lt, st), enteropathogenic (eaeA), enteroinvasive (ipaH), enteroaggregative (aggR), and diffusely adherent E. coli (daaD). Shiga toxin-producing E. coli were isolated from 16 cattle (14%) but none from pigs. stx1 was found in all bovine isolates, 11 of which also carried eaeA genes (69%); only 1 sample had both stx1 and stx2. Thirteen stx-positive strains were classified as Shiga-toxigenic (81%) using an enzymatic immunoassay, 2 STEC strains were from serogroup O157 (13%), and 7 were sorbitol negative (44%). Enteropathogenic E. coli were detected more frequently in cattle (18%, 20/114) than in pigs (5%, 6/112). To our knowledge, this is the first study on the prevalence of STEC in farms animals in Peru using molecular methods. Further studies are needed in a large number of farms to determine the relevance of these findings and its consequences for public health.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Honorio Delgado 430, San Martin de Porres, Lima 31, Peru.
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sotelo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Menacho
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Evaristo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valencia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carbajal
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ochoa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000382:microbiology; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*