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Prevalence of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli in ground beef, pork, and chicken in southwestern Ontario

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

S. C. Read
Affiliation:
Agriculture Canada, Health of Animals Laboratory, 110 Stone Road West, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 3W4
C. L. Gyles
Affiliation:
Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2W1
R. C. Clarke
Affiliation:
Agriculture Canada, Health of Animals Laboratory, 110 Stone Road West, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 3W4
H. Lior
Affiliation:
National Enteric Reference Centre, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaK1A 0L2
S. McEwen
Affiliation:
Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2W1
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Samples of ground beef (225), pork (235) and chicken (200) were randomly selected from meat processing plants in the southwestern Ontario area. Supernatants of broth cultures of the samples were tested for verocytotoxins using a Vero cell assay. Neutralization of cytotoxic activity using antisera specific for three types of verocytotoxin (Verotoxin 1, Verotoxin 2 and Shiga-like toxin II) was performed on positive samples. Isolation of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) was attempted from positive samples. VTEC were confirmed as E. coli biochemically, tested for drug resistance, and serotyped. Based on neutralization studies, the prevalance of VTEC in beef and pork was at least 36·4% and 10·6%. respectively. This is much higher than has been reported from a survey of retail meats in which a method designed to detect only E. coli O 157.H7 was used. Isolations of VTEC were made from 10·4 % of the beef samples and 3·8 % of the pork samples. No VTEC were recovered from the chicken samples. The majority of VTEC isolates were susceptible to commonly used antimicrobial agents. A number of the serotypes of the VTEC isolates recovered have been associated with human disease; however, no VTEC of serotype O 157.H7 were isolated.

Type
Special Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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