Prevalence and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from cattle, food, and children during a one-year prospective study in France

During a 1-year survey of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) pre valence in central France, 2,143 samples were investigated by PCR for Shiga toxin-encoding genes. A total of 330 (70%) of 471 fecal samples collected from healthy cattle at the Clermont-Ferrand slaughterhouse, 47 (11%) of 411 beef samples, 60 (10%) of 603 cheese samples, and 19 (3%) of 658 stool spe cimens from hospitalized children with and without diarrhea were positive f or the sh gene(s). A STEC strain was isolated from 34% (162 of 471) of bovi ne feces, 4% (16 of 411) of beef samples, 1% (5 of 603) of cheese samples, and 1.5% (10 of 658) of stool specimens. Of the 220 STEC strains isolated, 34 (15%) harbored the stx(1) gene, 116 (53%) harbored the stx(2) gene, and 70 (32%) carried both the stx(1) and stx(2) genes. However, 32 (14.5%) were not cytotoxic for Vero cells. The eae gene, found in 12 (5%) of the 220 st rains, was significantly associated with the stx(1) gene and with isolates from children. Sequences homologous to ehxA were found in 102 (46%) of the 220 strains. Thirteen serotypes, OX3:H2, O113:H21, O113:H4, OX3:H21, O6:H10 , OX178:H19, O171:H2, O46:H38, O172:H21, O22:H16, O91:H10, O91:H21, and O22 :H8, accounted for 102 (55%) of 186 typeable isolates, and only one strain (0.5% of the 186 STEC isolates from cattle), belonged to the O157:H7 seroty pe. We showed that the majority of the STEC isolates from cattle, beef, and cheese were not likely to be pathogenic for humans and that the STEC strai ns isolated from children in this study were probably not responsible for d iarrheal disease. Finally, the strains associated with hemolytic-uremic syn drome in the same geographical area were shown to belong to particular subs ets of the STEC population found in the bovine reservoir.