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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2004, p. 7456-7465, Vol. 70, No. 12
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.12.7456-7465.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Shedding Patterns of Verocytotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains in a Cohort of Calves and Their Dams on a Scottish Beef Farm

D. J. Shaw,1* C. Jenkins,2,3,{dagger} M. C. Pearce,1,4 T. Cheasty,2 G. J. Gunn,4 G. Dougan,3 H. R. Smith,2 M. E. J. Woolhouse,1 and G. Frankel3

Veterinary Epidemiology Group, Centre for Tropical and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian,1 Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, Central Public Health Laboratory, Specialist and Reference Microbiology Division, Health Protection Agency, London,2 Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Imperial College, London,3 Epidemiology Unit, SAC Veterinary Science Division, Drummondhill, Inverness, United Kingdom4

Received 26 February 2004/ Accepted 6 August 2004

Rectal fecal samples were taken once a week from 49 calves on the same farm. In addition, the dams of the calves were sampled at the time of calf birth and at the end of the study. Strains of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) were isolated from these samples by using PCR and DNA probe hybridization tests and were characterized with respect to serotype, verocytotoxin gene (vtx) type, and the presence of the intimin (eae) and hemolysin (ehxA) genes. A total of 170 VTEC strains were isolated during 21 weeks from 130 (20%) of 664 samples from calves and from 40 (47%) of 86 samples from their dams. The characteristics of the calf strains differed from those strains isolated from the dams with respect to verocytotoxin 2 and the presence of the eae gene. In addition, no calf shed the same VTEC serogroup (excluding O?) as its dam at birth or at the end of the study. The most frequently detected serogroups in calves were serogroup O26 and provisional serogroup E40874 (VTEC O26 was found in 25 calves), whereas in dams serogroup O91 and provisional serogroup E54071 were the most common serogroups. VTEC O26 shedding appeared to be associated with very young calves and declined as the calves aged, whereas VTEC O2 shedding was associated with housing of the animals. VTEC O26 strains from calves were characterized by the presence of the vtx1, eae, and ehxA genes, whereas vtx2 was associated with VTEC O2 and provisional serogroup E40874. The high prevalence of VTEC O26 and of VTEC strains harboring the eae gene in this calf cohort is notable because of the association of the O26 serogroup and the presence of the eae gene with human disease. No association between calf diarrhea and any of the VTEC serogroups was identified.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0) 131 6507573. Fax: 44 (0) 131 651 3903. E-mail: Darren.Shaw{at}ed.ac.uk.

{dagger} Present address: Microbiology, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2004, p. 7456-7465, Vol. 70, No. 12
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.12.7456-7465.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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