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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #159065

Title: THE INCIDENCE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 IN CATTLE AND SWINE IN CENTRAL MEXICO

Author
item Callaway, Todd
item Anderson, Robin
item Edrington, Thomas
item Genovese, Kenneth - Ken
item Harvey, Roger
item Nisbet, David
item TELLEZ, G - UNIVERSITY OF AR
item NAVA, G - UNIVERSITY OF AR
item ROSARIO, C - NATL UNIV OF MEXICO
item ESLAVA, C - NATL UNIV OF MEXICO

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/23/2004
Publication Date: 10/1/2004
Citation: Callaway, T.R., Anderson, R.C., Edrington, T.S., Genovese, K.J., Harvey, R.B., Nisbet, D.J., Tellez, G., Nava, G.M., Rosario, C., Eslava, C. 2004. Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle and swine in central Mexico. Journal of Food Protection. 67:2274-2276.

Interpretive Summary: Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a food-borne pathogenic bacterium that can cause severe illnesses in humans, especially in children and the elderly; and this pathogen resides in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle and swine. A field research study was performed across central Mexico to compare the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 with the incidence found in the United States. Research methodologies used were the most sensitive accepted techniques currently in use. Samples were taken from 4 cattle and 4 swine farms located throughout central Mexico. In this study, the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 was found to be only 1.25% on cattle farms and 2.1% on swine farms. The incidence in cattle in this study is approximately one order of magnitude less than that reported in the United States, and could be related to the lower reported incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in humans in Mexico.

Technical Abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a food-borne pathogenic bacterium that can cause severe illnesses in humans, especially in children and the elderly. Escherichia coli O157:H7 can reside undetected in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle because colonization by this bacterium is asymptomatic. However, recent research has indicated that swine can carry and transmit this pathogen as well. Our understanding of the ecological niche occupied by this organism has been hampered by the low sensitivity of traditional culture-based enumeration methodologies. The development of more advanced and sensitive techniques has improved the limit of detection for this important pathogen. The present study was undertaken to determine the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle and swine in Mexico using the more sensitive detection technique of immunomagnetic bead separation (IMS). Samples (n=60/farm) were taken from 4 cattle and 4 swine farms (total n=240 cattle samples and n=240 swine samples) located throughout central Mexico in October, 2001. In this study, the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 was found to be only 1.25% on cattle farms and 2.1% on swine farms. The incidence in cattle in this study is lower than that reported in the United States, and could be related to the lower reported incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in humans in Mexico. However further research is needed to verify the incidence throughout other regions of Mexico, as well as the incidence during other seasons of the year.