E. coli O157 on Scottish cattle farms: Evidence of local spread and persistence using repeat cross-sectional data

BMC Veterinary Research

Margo E Chase-Topping⁷  Mark EJ Woolhouse⁷  George J Gunn⁸  Louise Matthews¹  Mary Hanson⁴  Lesley Allison⁴  Mary Locking²  Thibaud Porphyre⁷  Dominic Mellor⁹  Michael C Pearce⁵  Iain J McKendrick⁶  Giles Innocent⁶  Deborah V Hoyle⁷  Leila Vali³  Liam J Herbert⁷ 

[1] Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, UK;Health Protection Scotland, Meridian Court, Cadogan St, Glasgow, UK;Medical Laboratory Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait;Scottish E. coli O157/VTEC Reference Laboratory, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, UK;31A Arthur van Dycklaan, Tervuren 3080, Belgium;Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BIOSS), University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, UK;Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, UK;Epidemiology Research Unit, SRUC, Drummondhill, Stratherrick Road, Inverness, UK;Institute of Comparative Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bearsden, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

关键词: PFGE;    Persistence;    Transmission;    Risk factor;    Epidemiology;    E. coli O157;   

Others  :  1119223
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-6148-10-95

 received in 2013-03-18, accepted in 2014-03-26,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 is a virulent zoonotic strain of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli. In Scotland (1998-2008) the annual reported rate of human infection is 4.4 per 100,000 population which is consistently higher than other regions of the UK and abroad. Cattle are the primary reservoir. Thus understanding infection dynamics in cattle is paramount to reducing human infections.

A large database was created for farms sampled in two cross-sectional surveys carried out in Scotland (1998 - 2004). A statistical model was generated to identify risk factors for the presence of E. coli O157 on farms. Specific hypotheses were tested regarding the presence of E. coli O157 on local farms and the farms previous status. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles were further examined to ascertain whether local spread or persistence of strains could be inferred.

Results

The presence of an E. coli O157 positive local farm (average distance: 5.96km) in the Highlands, North East and South West, farm size and the number of cattle moved onto the farm 8 weeks prior to sampling were significant risk factors for the presence of E. coli O157 on farms. Previous status of a farm was not a significant predictor of current status (p = 0.398). Farms within the same sampling cluster were significantly more likely to be the same PFGE type (p < 0.001), implicating spread of strains between local farms. Isolates with identical PFGE types were observed to persist across the two surveys, including 3 that were identified on the same farm, suggesting an environmental reservoir. PFGE types that were persistent were more likely to have been observed in human clinical infections in Scotland (p < 0.001) from the same time frame.

Conclusions

The results of this study demonstrate the spread of E. coli O157 between local farms and highlight the potential link between persistent cattle strains and human clinical infections in Scotland. This novel insight into the epidemiology of Scottish E. coli O157 paves the way for future research into the mechanisms of transmission which should help with the design of control measures to reduce E. coli O157 from livestock-related sources.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Herbert et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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