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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2004, p. 5737-5743, Vol. 70, No. 10
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.10.5737-5743.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Distribution of Escherichia coli O157 in Bovine Fecal Pats and Its Impact on Estimates of the Prevalence of Fecal Shedding

M. C. Pearce,1,2* D. Fenlon,2 J. C. Low,2 A. W. Smith,1,2 H. I. Knight,1,2 J. Evans,2 G. Foster,2 B. A. Synge,2 and G. J. Gunn2

Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian,1 Scottish Agricultural College, Drummondhill, Inverness, United Kingdom2

Received 29 January 2004/ Accepted 31 May 2004

The distribution of Escherichia coli O157 in bovine feces was examined by testing multiple samples from fecal pats and determining the density of E. coli O157 in immunomagnetic separation (IMS)-positive fecal samples. The density of E. coli O157 in bovine feces was highly variable, differing by as much as 76,800 CFU g–1 between samples from the same fecal pat. The density in most positive samples was <100 CFU g–1, the limit of reliable detection by IMS. Testing only one 1-g sample of feces per pat with IMS may result in a sensitivity of detection as low as 20 to 50%. It is therefore probable that most surveys have greatly underestimated the prevalence of E. coli O157 shedding in cattle and the proportion of farms with shedding cattle. The sensitivity of the detection of E. coli O157 in bovine feces can be as much as doubled by testing two 1-g samples per pat rather than one 1-g sample.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Epidemiology Unit, Scottish Agricultural College, Drummondhill, Stratherrick Rd., Inverness IV2 4JZ, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 01463 243 030. Fax: 44 01463 711 103. E-mail: m.pearce{at}ed.sac.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2004, p. 5737-5743, Vol. 70, No. 10
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.10.5737-5743.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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