Shiga-Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli in Brazil: A Systematic Review.

Vinicius Silva Castro,Eduardo Eustáquio De Souza Figueiredo,Kim Stanford,Tim Mcallister,Carlos Adam Conte-Junior

doi:10.3390/microorganisms7050137

Abstract

Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) can cause serious illnesses, including hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. This is the first systematic review of STEC in Brazil, and will report the main serogroups detected in animals, food products and foodborne diseases. Data were obtained from online databases accessed in January 2019. Papers were selected from each database using the Mesh term entries. Although no human disease outbreaks in Brazil related to STEC has been reported, the presence of several serogroups such as O157 and O111 has been verified in animals, food, and humans. Moreover, other serogroups monitored by international federal agencies and involved in outbreak cases worldwide were detected, and other unusual strains were involved in some isolated individual cases of foodborne disease, such as serotype O118:H16 and serogroup O165. The epidemiological data presented herein indicates the presence of several pathogenic serogroups, including O157:H7, O26, O103, and O111, which have been linked to disease outbreaks worldwide. As available data are concentrated in the Sao Paulo state and almost completely lacking in outlying regions, epidemiological monitoring in Brazil for STEC needs to be expanded and food safety standards for this pathogen should be aligned to that of the food safety standards of international bodies.

Highlights

Brazil is one of the largest producers and exporters of food in the world
The aim of the present study was to conduct the first systematic review of Escherichia coli Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) with a focus on Brazil and to compare the presence of serogroups detected in food products, animals and humans
The epidemiological data presented in this review indicate that O157:H7, O26, O103 and O111 strains, classified as foodborne pathogens and monitored by the USDA-FSIS (USA), U.S FDA, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority - EU) and MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply - Brazil), are currently circulating in different regions of Brazil

Summary

Introduction

Brazil is one of the largest producers and exporters of food in the world Animal products, such as beef, poultry, pork, fish, and crops such as corn, soybeans, and rice represent Brazil’s major exports [1]. The main microorganisms involved in food contamination belong to the Enterobacteriaceae, with Escherichia coli representing a major species. This bacterium represents one of the most extensively studied and was one of the first to be sequenced [4,5]. Escherichia coli is the main bacterium involved in food contamination in Brazil [6] It possesses seven pathogenic groups, namely enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC) diffusely adherent (DAEC), invasive adherent (AIEC), enteroaggregative (EAEC), and Shiga-toxin producing (STEC) [7]

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Methods

Conclusion