Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1996 Feb;34(2):431–433. doi: 10.1128/jcm.34.2.431-433.1996

Escherichia coli O157:H7 in microbial flora of sheep.

I T Kudva 1, P G Hatfield 1, C J Hovde 1
PMCID: PMC228813  PMID: 8789031

Abstract

We found naturally occurring, potentially virulent Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in sheep. The incidence of E. coli O157:H7 was transient and ranged from 31% of sheep in June to none in November. The use of a sensitive culture technique and the choice of the proper sampling season were both essential for detecting this bacterium in sheep. DNA hybridizations showed that 80% of the E. coli O157:H7 isolates had at least two of the Shiga-like toxin types I or II or the attaching-effacing lesion genes.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (189.2 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beutin L., Geier D., Steinrück H., Zimmermann S., Scheutz F. Prevalence and some properties of verotoxin (Shiga-like toxin)-producing Escherichia coli in seven different species of healthy domestic animals. J Clin Microbiol. 1993 Sep;31(9):2483–2488. doi: 10.1128/jcm.31.9.2483-2488.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chapman P. A., Siddons C. A., Wright D. J., Norman P., Fox J., Crick E. Cattle as a possible source of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 infections in man. Epidemiol Infect. 1993 Dec;111(3):439–447. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800057162. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Doyle M. P., Schoeni J. L. Isolation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from retail fresh meats and poultry. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987 Oct;53(10):2394–2396. doi: 10.1128/aem.53.10.2394-2396.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Griffin P. M., Tauxe R. V. The epidemiology of infections caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7, other enterohemorrhagic E. coli, and the associated hemolytic uremic syndrome. Epidemiol Rev. 1991;13:60–98. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036079. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hancock D. D., Besser T. E., Kinsel M. L., Tarr P. I., Rice D. H., Paros M. G. The prevalence of Escherichia coli O157.H7 in dairy and beef cattle in Washington State. Epidemiol Infect. 1994 Oct;113(2):199–207. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800051633. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hofmann S. L. Southwestern Internal Medicine Conference: Shiga-like toxins in hemolytic-uremic syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Am J Med Sci. 1993 Dec;306(6):398–406. doi: 10.1097/00000441-199312000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hovde C. J., Calderwood S. B., Mekalanos J. J., Collier R. J. Evidence that glutamic acid 167 is an active-site residue of Shiga-like toxin I. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Apr;85(8):2568–2572. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.8.2568. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jerse A. E., Gicquelais K. G., Kaper J. B. Plasmid and chromosomal elements involved in the pathogenesis of attaching and effacing Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1991 Nov;59(11):3869–3875. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.11.3869-3875.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kudva I. T., Hatfield P. G., Hovde C. J. Effect of diet on the shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a sheep model. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995 Apr;61(4):1363–1370. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.4.1363-1370.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. O'Brien A. D., Holmes R. K. Shiga and Shiga-like toxins. Microbiol Rev. 1987 Jun;51(2):206–220. doi: 10.1128/mr.51.2.206-220.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Perry M. B., Bundle D. R. Antigenic relationships of the lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia hermannii strains with those of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Brucella melitensis, and Brucella abortus. Infect Immun. 1990 May;58(5):1391–1395. doi: 10.1128/iai.58.5.1391-1395.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rasmussen M. A., Cray W. C., Jr, Casey T. A., Whipp S. C. Rumen contents as a reservoir of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1993 Nov 15;114(1):79–84. doi: 10.1016/0378-1097(93)90145-r. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schoeni J. L., Doyle M. P. Variable colonization of chickens perorally inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and subsequent contamination of eggs. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 Aug;60(8):2958–2962. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.8.2958-2962.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Weinstein D. L., Jackson M. P., Perera L. P., Holmes R. K., O'Brien A. D. In vivo formation of hybrid toxins comprising Shiga toxin and the Shiga-like toxins and role of the B subunit in localization and cytotoxic activity. Infect Immun. 1989 Dec;57(12):3743–3750. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.12.3743-3750.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Willshaw G. A., Scotland S. M., Smith H. R., Cheasty T., Thomas A., Rowe B. Hybridization of strains of Escherichia coli O157 with probes derived from the eaeA gene of enteropathogenic E. coli and the eaeA homolog from a Vero cytotoxin-producing strain of E. coli O157. J Clin Microbiol. 1994 Apr;32(4):897–902. doi: 10.1128/jcm.32.4.897-902.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Yu J., Kaper J. B. Cloning and characterization of the eae gene of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Mol Microbiol. 1992 Feb;6(3):411–417. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1992.tb01484.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES