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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2005, p. 93-97, Vol. 71, No. 1
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.1.93-97.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Rectal Carriage of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 in Slaughtered Cattle

J. Christopher Low,1* Iain J. McKendrick,2 Caroline McKechnie,3 David Fenlon,3 Stuart W. Naylor,1 Carol Currie,4 David G. E. Smith,4 Lesley Allison,5 and David L. Gally6

Animal Health Group,1 Veterinary Services Group, Scottish Agricultural College,3 Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland,2 E. coli O157 Reference Laboratory, Western General Hospital,5 Zoonotic and Animal Pathogens Research Laboratory, Medical Microbiology, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh,6 Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian, United Kingdom4

Received 9 March 2004/ Accepted 10 August 2004

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important cause of diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and potentially fatal human illness. Cattle are considered a primary reservoir of infection, and recent experimental evidence has indicated that the terminal rectum is the principal site of bacterial carriage. To test this finding in naturally colonized animals, intact rectum samples from 267 cattle in 24 separate lots were obtained immediately after slaughter, and fecal material and mucosal surfaces were cultured for E. coli O157 by direct and enrichment methods. Two locations, 1 and 15 cm proximal to the recto-anal junction, were tested. In total, 35 animals were positive for E. coli O157 at at least one of the sites and 232 animals were negative as determined by all tests. The frequency of isolation and the numbers of E. coli O157 cells were higher at the site closer to the recto-anal junction, confirming our previous experimental findings. We defined low- and high-level carriers as animals with E. coli O157 levels of <1 x 103 CFU g–1 or <1 x 103 CFU ml–1 and animals with E. coli O157 levels of ≥1 x 103 CFU g–1 or ≥1 x 103 CFU ml–1 in feces or tissues, respectively. High-level carriage was detected in 3.7% of the animals (95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 6.8%), and carriage on the mucosal surface of the terminal rectum was associated with high-level fecal excretion. In summary, our results support previous work demonstrating that the mucosal epithelium in the bovine terminal rectum is an important site for E. coli O157 carriage in cattle. The data also support the hypothesis that high-level fecal shedding (≥1 x 103 CFU g of feces–1) of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157 results from colonization of this site.

* Corresponding author. Present address: SAC AHG, Sir Stephen Watson Building, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PH, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 131 535 3150. Fax: 44 131 535 3221. E-mail: chris.low{at}sac.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2005, p. 93-97, Vol. 71, No. 1
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.1.93-97.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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