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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 653-659, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.653-659.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Prevalence and Virulence Factors of Escherichia coli Serogroups O26, O103, O111, and O145 Shed by Cattle in Scotland

M. C. Pearce,1,2 J. Evans,2 I. J. McKendrick,3 A. W. Smith,1,2 H. I. Knight,1,2 D. J. Mellor,4 M. E. J. Woolhouse,1 G. J. Gunn,2 and J. C. Low2*

Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, United Kingdom,1 Animal Health Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Rd., Edinburgh EH9 3JG, United Kingdom,2 Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland (BioSS), James Clerk Maxwell Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom,3 Institute of Comparative Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, 464 Bearsden Rd., Glasgow G61 1QH, United Kingdom4

Received 10 June 2005/ Accepted 2 November 2005

A national survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of Escherichia coli O26, O103, O111, and O145 in feces of Scottish cattle. In total, 6,086 fecal pats from 338 farms were tested. The weighted mean percentages of farms on which shedding was detected were 23% for E. coli O26, 22% for E. coli O103, and 10% for E. coli O145. The weighted mean prevalences in fecal pats were 4.6% for E. coli O26, 2.7% for E. coli O103, and 0.7% for E. coli O145. No E. coli O111 was detected. Farms with cattle shedding E. coli serogroup O26, O103, or O145 were widely dispersed across Scotland and were identified most often in summer and autumn. However, on individual farms, fecal shedding of E. coli O26, O103, or O145 was frequently undetectable or the numbers of pats testing positive were small. For serogroup O26 or O103 there was clustering of positive pats within management groups, and the presence of an animal shedding one of these serogroups was a positive predictor for shedding by others, suggesting local transmission of infection. Carriage of vtx was rare in E. coli O103 and O145 isolates, but 49.0% of E. coli O26 isolates possessed vtx, invariably vtx1 alone or vtx1 and vtx2 together. The carriage of eae and ehxA genes was highly associated in all three serogroups. Among E. coli serogroup O26 isolates, 28.9% carried vtx, eae, and ehxA—a profile consistent with E. coli O26 strains known to cause human disease.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: SAC Animal Health Group, Sir Stephen Watson Building, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PH, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0131) 535 3150/3317. Fax: 44 (0131) 535 3121. E-mail: chris.low{at}sac.ac.uk

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 653-659, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.653-659.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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