title: Slaughterhouse effluent discharges into rivers not responsible for environmental occurrence of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli.
abstract: Enteroaggregative Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains were responsible for a massive outbreak in Europe in 2011, and had been previously isolated from French patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) in slaughterhouse effluents (wastewater, slurry, sludge and effluents), and in river waters near these slaughterhouses. A total of 10,618 E. coli isolates were screened by PCR for the presence of EAEC-associated genetic markers (aggR, aap and aatA). None of these markers was detected in E. coli isolated from slaughterhouse samples. A unique enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) O126:H8 was detected in river water sampled upstream from slaughterhouse effluent discharge. These results confirmed that animals might not be reservoirs of EAEC, and that further studies are required to evaluate the role of the environment in the transmission of EAEC to humans.
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR1043, INRA USC1360, Université de Toulouse, INPT, ENVT, Toulouse, France. Electronic address: d.bibbal@envt.fr.
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bibbal
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR1043, INRA USC1360, Université de Toulouse, INPT, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kérourédan
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup, LMAP Laboratory, National Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli including VTEC, Marcy l'Etoile, France.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Loukiadis
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Escherichia and Klebsiella, Statens Serum Institut (SSI), Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Flemming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scheutz
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR1043, INRA USC1360, CHU de Toulouse, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR1043, INRA USC1360, Université de Toulouse, INPT, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brugère
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005060:Europe; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Cattle; E. coli; EAEC; Effluent; STEC; Slaughterhouse