The survival characteristics of a non-toxigenic strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7
1999
Bolton, D.J. | Byrne, C.M. | Sheridan, J.J. | McDowell, D.A. | Blair, I.S.
The survival characteristics of a non-toxigenic, antibiotic-resistant strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in bovine faeces were investigated. Faecal samples were inoculated with 10(8-9) cfu g(-1) of the organism and (i) stored in closed plastic containers at 10 degrees C, (ii) stored in in closed plastic containers placed outside or (iii) decanted onto the surface of grazing land. Recovery and enumeration on Sorbitol MacConkey Agar (SMAC) and Tryptic Soya Agar (TSA) revealed that the E. coli O157:H7 numbers in both enclosed samples (i and ii) had decreased by 4.5-5.5 log(10) cfu g(-1) within 99 d. Numbers in samples decanted grassland (iii) decreased by 4.0-5.0 log(10) cfu g(-1) within 50 d but the organism was still detectable in the surrounding soil for up to 99 d. Persistence of E. coli O157:H7 in bovine faeces and contaminated pastures may therefore be an important factor in the initial infection and re-infection of cattle.
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