Antibody to Escherichia coli enterotoxin in meat-packing workers.

Meat-packing plant employees exposed to raw animal products had serological evidence of higher infection rates with heat-labile toxin producing enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (LT-EEC). In those employees with multiple sera available for study over a ten-year period, a drop in mean anti-LT-EEC titer was observed, suggesting altered ecology of or exposure to the organism during this time. Prospective studies need to be done to determine if meat-packing workers actually experience a greater incidence of LT-EEC-induced diarrheal disease.