Abstract
BackgroundE. coli O157 is a bacterial pathogen that is shed by cattle and can cause severe disease in humans. Phage type (PT) 21/28 is a subtype of E. coli O157 that is found across Scotland and is associated with particularly severe human morbidity.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of Scottish cattle farms was conducted in the period Feb 2002-Feb 2004 to determine the prevalence of E. coli O157 in cattle herds. Data from 88 farms on which E. coli O157 was present were analysed using generalised linear mixed models to identify risk factors for the presence of PT 21/28 specifically.ResultsThe analysis identified private water supply, and northerly farm location as risk factors for PT 21/28 presence. There was a significant association between the presence of PT 21/28 and an increased number of E. coli O157 positive pat samples from a farm, and PT 21/28 was significantly associated with larger E. coli O157 counts than non-PT 21/28 E. coli O157.ConclusionPT 21/28 has significant risk factors that distinguish it from other phage types of E. coli O157. This finding has implications for the control of E. coli O157 as a whole and suggests that control could be tailored to target the locally dominant PT.
Highlights
E. coli O157 is a bacterial pathogen that is shed by cattle and can cause severe disease in humans
Sufficient pat samples were taken to ensure 90% probability of detecting shedding of E. coli O157 if on average 8% of animals were shedding in positive groups, with shedding distributed as seen in an earlier study commissioned by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
Phage type (PT) 21/28 was present on 50/88 E. coli O157 positive farms (56.8%, 95% CI = 45.8, 67.4%)
Summary
E. coli O157 is a bacterial pathogen that is shed by cattle and can cause severe disease in humans. Phage type (PT) 21/28 is a subtype of E. coli O157 that is found across Scotland and is associated with severe human morbidity. Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 is a bacterial pathogen capable of causing potentially fatal gastrointestinal disease in humans. E. coli O157 is shed by cattle, which are believed to be a major reservoir for human infections. Phage type (PT) 21/28 is a subtype of E. coli O157 that was first detected in Scotland in 1994 [3]. A recent survey of HUS cases in the UK and Ireland indicated that the risk of developing diarrhoea-associated HUS was significantly higher in children in Scotland infected with PT 21/ 28 than with the majority of other PTs [5]
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