title: Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Potentials of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates from Raw Meats of Slaughterhouses and Retail Markets in Korea.
abstract: In this study, the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) was investigated among raw meat or meat products from slaughterhouses and retail markets in South Korea, and their potential for antibiotic resistance and virulence was further analyzed. A total of 912 raw meats, including beef, pork, and chicken, were collected from 2008 to 2009. E. coli strains were frequently isolated in chicken meats (176/233, 75.9%), beef (102/217, 42.3%), and pork (109/235, 39.2%). Putative STEC isolates were further categorized, based on the presence or absence of the Shiga toxin (stx) genes, followed by standard O-serotyping. Polymerase chain reaction assays were used to detect the previously defined virulence genes in STEC, including Shiga toxins 1 and Shiga toxin 2 (stx1 and 2), enterohemolysin (ehxA), intimin (eaeA), STEC autoagglutination adhesion (saa), and subtilase cytotoxin (subAB). All carried both stx1 and eae genes, but none of them had the stx2, saa, or subAB genes. Six (50.0%) STEC isolates possessed the ehxA gene, which is known to be encoded by the 60-megadalton virulence plasmid. Our antibiogram profiling demonstrated that some STEC strains, particularly pork and chicken isolates, displayed a multiple drug-resistance phenotype. RPLA analysis revealed that all the stx1-positive STEC isolates produced Stx1 only at the undetectable level. Altogether, these results imply that the locus of enterocyte and effacement (LEE)-positive strains STEC are predominant among raw meats or meat products from slaughterhouses or retail markets in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Cheongwon 363-951, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jang Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Cheongwon 363-951, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Jeong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Anyang 430-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Kyoung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Yeon
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Cheongwon 363-951, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Jo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Anyang 430-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyang-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Anyang 430-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wee
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Anyang 430-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin San
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D007723:Korea; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D019081:O Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012703:Serotyping; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D019081:O Antigens; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Antibiogram; Retail meat; Shiga toxin; Stx-producing E. coli; polymerase chain reaction