title: Peri- and Postharvest Factors in the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Beef.
abstract: Certain Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are important causes of food-borne disease, with hemorrhagic colitis and, in some cases, hemolytic-uremic syndrome as the clinical manifestations of illness. Six serogroups and one serotype of STEC (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157:H7) are responsible for the vast majority of cases in the United States. Based on recent data for all food commodities combined, 55.3% and 50.0% of the outbreaks of STEC O157 and non-O157 in the United States, respectively, are attributable to beef as a food source. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service declared these organisms as adulterants in raw, nonintact beef. In North America, cattle are a major reservoir of STEC strains, with organisms shed in the feces and contaminated hides of the animals being the main vehicle for spread to carcasses at slaughter. A number of peri- and postharvest interventions targeting STEC have been developed, and significant progress has been made in improving the microbiological quality of beef in the past 20 years as a result. However, continued improvements are needed, and accurate assessment of these interventions, especially for non-O157 STEC, would greatly benefit from improvements in detection methods for these organisms.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0905.
authors.forename: Rodney A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Moxley
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2471.
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Acuff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D059022:Food Safety / Q000379:methods*; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*