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Persistence of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli O26 in cow slurry
Author(s) -
Fremaux B.,
PrigentCombaret C.,
DelignetteMuller M.L.,
Dothal M.,
VernozyRozand C.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2007.02146.x
Subject(s) - slurry , pulsed field gel electrophoresis , escherichia coli , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , toxin , pathogen , food science , persistence (discontinuity) , contamination , polymerase chain reaction , veterinary medicine , genotype , environmental science , ecology , medicine , genetics , environmental engineering , geotechnical engineering , gene , engineering
Aims: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and survival of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26 in cow slurry; this serogroup is regarded as an important cause of STEC‐associated diseases. Methods and Results: Four STEC were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine whether they harbour key virulence determinants and also by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to obtain overview fingerprints of their genomes. They were transformed with the pGFPuv plasmid and were separately inoculated at a level of 10 6 CFU ml −1 in 15 l of cow slurry. All STEC O26 strains could be detected for at least 3 months in cow slurry without any genetic changes. The moisture content of the slurry decreased over time to reach a final value of 75% while the pH increased from 8·5 to 9·5 units during the last 50 days. Conclusion: STEC O26 strains were able to survive in cow slurry for an extended period. Significance and Impact of the Study: Long‐term storage of waste slurry should be required to reduce the pathogen load and to limit environmental contamination by STEC O26.