Escherichia coli O157:H7, first identified aas a pathogen in 1982, is
now recognized as an important foodborne pathogen. Most E. coli O157:H
7 outbreaks have been associated with eating undercooked ground beef,
including the recent outbreak in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Sev
eral methods (cultural, serological and DNA-based) have been developed
for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in foods. Reducing the carriage
of E. coli O157:H7 by cattle, implementing a hazard analysis and criti
cal control points (HACCP) program in processing foods of animal origi
n, and cooking foods of animal origin properly before consumption are
important measures for the control and prevention of E. coli O157:H7 i
nfections.