title: Molecular epidemiology of Rhodococcus equi in slaughtered swine, cattle and horses in Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rhodococcus equi is an emerging zoonotic presumably foodborne pathogen. Since the data on the worldwide prevalence of R. equi in meat animals are scarce, the present study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology of R. equi in swine, cattle and horse carcasses intended for human consumption in Poland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 1028 lymph node samples were examined. R. equi was isolated from 26.6 % (105/395) swine and 1.3 % (3/234) bovine healthy submaxillary lymph nodes. In horses, R. equi was isolated only from 0.5 % (1/198) samples of middle tracheo-branchiales lymph node while no lymphocentrum retropharyngeum sample was positive (0/198). The purulent lesions were observed only in 0.8 % swine submaxillary lymph nodes samples (3/398) and in two of them R. equi was detected. All bovine and most of swine isolates (98.1 %) were vapB-positive. 87.9 % of swine isolates carried 95-kb type 5 plasmid, 3.7 % type 1 and plasmid types: 4, 7, 10, 11, 21, 31 were carried by a single isolate (0.9 %). All bovine isolates carried VAPB type 26. Single horse isolate was vapA-positive and carried plasmid VAPA 85-kb type I.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of vapB-positive R. equi in investigated healthy swine intended for human consumption was very high. Not only swine, but also even apparently healthy cattle or horse carcasses should be considered as a potential source of R. equi for humans, especially in countries where undercooked or raw beef or horsemeat is traditionally consumed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland. lucjan_witkowski@sggw.pl.
authors.forename: Lucjan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Witkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rzewuska
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Hygiene, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23-35-1, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.affiliation: Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kizerwetter-Świda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kita
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000193:Actinomycetales Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D016929:Rhodococcus equi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Equine; Foodborne pathogen; Meat; R. equi; Slaughterhouse; Swine