Prevalence and risk-factor analysis of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli in faecal samples of organically and conventionally farmed dairy cattle

Kuhnert, Peter; Dubosson, Christoph R.; Roesch, Markus; Homfeld, Esther; Doherr, Marcus G.; Blum, Jürg W. (2005). Prevalence and risk-factor analysis of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli in faecal samples of organically and conventionally farmed dairy cattle. Veterinary microbiology, 109(1-2), pp. 37-45. Amsterdam: Elsevier 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.02.015

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Cattle are a natural reservoir for Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), however, no data are available on the prevalence and their possible association with organic or conventional farming practices. We have therefore studied the prevalence of STEC and specifically O157:H7 in Swiss dairy cattle by collecting faeces from approximately 500 cows from 60 farms with organic production (OP) and 60 farms with integrated (conventional) production (IP). IP farms were matched to OP farms and were comparable in terms of community, agricultural zone, and number of cows per farm. E. coli were grown overnight in an enrichment medium, followed by DNA isolation and PCR analysis using specific TaqMan assays. STEC were detected in all farms and O157:H7 were present in 25% of OP farms and 17% of IP farms. STEC were detected in 58% and O157:H7 were evidenced in 4.6% of individual faeces. Multivariate statistical analyses of over 250 parameters revealed several risk-factors for the presence of STEC and O157:H7. Risk-factors were mainly related to the potential of cross-contamination of feeds and cross-infection of cows, and age of the animals. In general, no significant differences between the two farm types concerning prevalence or risk for carrying STEC or O157:H7 were observed. Because the incidence of human disease caused by STEC in Switzerland is low, the risk that people to get infected appears to be small despite a relatively high prevalence in cattle. Nevertheless, control and prevention practices are indicated to avoid contamination of animal products.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > DVK - Clinical Research [discontinued]
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Experimental Clinical Research
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Physiology
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP) > Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology

UniBE Contributor:

Kuhnert, Peter, Doherr, Marcus, Blum, Jürg

Subjects:

600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

0378-1135

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Kuhnert-Ryser

Date Deposited:

23 Jan 2014 16:32

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:26

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.02.015

PubMed ID:

15964720

Uncontrolled Keywords:

STEC, VTEC, O157:H7, Organic farming

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.39088

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/39088

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