Low prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses in Ohio, USA.
Abstract: Manure from draft animals deposited in fields during vegetable and fruit production may serve as a potential source of preharvest pathogen contamination of foods. To better quantify this risk, we determined the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses. Between June and September 2009, freshly voided fecal samples were collected from horses stabled on 242 separate premises in Ohio, USA. Overall, the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 1 of 242 (0.4% prevalence, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01 to 2.28). E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from none of the 107 equine fecal samples (0% prevalence, 95% CI = 0.00 to 3.39) that originated from locations without ruminant presence, and only 1 of the 135 horse fecal samples (0.7% prevalence, 95% CI = 0.02 to 4.06) from sites where ruminants were also present. The lone positive sample was collected from a horse that was costabled with a goat. Subsequent sampling at that location identified indistinguishable subtypes of E. coli O157:H7 present in the cohoused goat, in the environment, insects, sheep, and other goats housed in an adjacent field. E. coli O157:H7 was not isolated from the five subsequent samples from this horse. These data indicate that E. coli O157:H7 carriage by horses is an uncommon event.
Publication Date: 2011-01-12 PubMed ID: 21219723DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-73.11.2089Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- N.I.H.
- Extramural
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research conducted aimed to understand the prevalence of the bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses in Ohio, USA, finding it notably uncommon, even among horses cohabitating with other ruminant animals.
Study Overview
- The study introduced the concern that manure from draft animals used in vegetable and fruit production could be a potential source of preharvest pathogen contamination. The researchers conducted this study with the goal of quantifying this risk more precisely, specifically focusing on the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses.
Sampling and Data Collection
- Freshly voided fecal samples were collected from horses between June and September 2009. These samples were all from horses housed in 242 separate premises across Ohio, USA.
Results and Findings
- Among the entirety of the samples collected, the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 1 out of 242, indicating a rather low presence at a percentage of 0.4%. This was determined with a 95% confidence interval of 0.01 to 2.28.
- The group then looked into the difference in prevalence between horses housed in settings with and without other ruminants. None of the 107 samples from horses stationed alone tested positive for the bacterial strain.
- However, only 1 of the 135 fecal samples from horses cohabitating with ruminants showed the presence of E. coli O157:H7 equating to a 0.7% prevalence rate.
- The one sample that tested positive came from a horse that was co-stabled with a goat. Further testing from this location implicated that the bacterium was present in the environment, including the insects, sheep, and other goats in the adjacent field. However, this strain was not detected in subsequent tests from the same horse.
Conclusion
- Overall, the findings suggested that E. coli O157:H7 carriage by horses is uncommon. The study concludes that the risk of spreading this bacteria from horses to fruit and vegetable crops through the use of horse manure is low. Nevertheless, cross-contamination from other farm animals in shared settings, although still rare, appears to be a potential concern.
Cite This Article
APA
Lengacher B, Kline TR, Harpster L, Williams ML, Lejeune JT.
(2011).
Low prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses in Ohio, USA.
J Food Prot, 73(11), 2089-2092.
https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028x-73.11.2089 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Food Animal Health Research Program, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio 44691, USA. lejeune.3@osu.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Carrier State / microbiology
- Carrier State / veterinary
- Colony Count, Microbial
- Crops, Agricultural / microbiology
- Escherichia coli O157 / isolation & purification
- Food Contamination / prevention & control
- Food Microbiology
- Horses / microbiology
- Manure / microbiology
- Odds Ratio
- Ohio / epidemiology
- Prevalence
Grant Funding
- T35 RR21310 / NCRR NIH HHS
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Reshadi P, Heydari F, Ghanbarpour R, Bagheri M, Jajarmi M, Amiri M, Alizade H, Badouei MA, Sahraei S, Adib N. Molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance of potentially human-pathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from riding horses.. BMC Vet Res 2021 Mar 25;17(1):131.
- Stout AE, Hofmar-Glennon HG, André NM, Goodman LB, Anderson RR, Mitchell PK, Thompson BS, Lejeune M, Whittaker GR, Goodrich EL. Infectious disease surveillance of apparently healthy horses at a multi-day show using a novel nanoscale real-time PCR panel.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021 Jan;33(1):80-86.
- Kim JS, Lee MS, Kim JH. Recent Updates on Outbreaks of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Its Potential Reservoirs.. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020;10:273.
- Iwu CD, Okoh AI. Preharvest Transmission Routes of Fresh Produce Associated Bacterial Pathogens with Outbreak Potentials: A Review.. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Nov 11;16(22).
- Persad AK, Williams ML, LeJeune JT. Rapid loss of a green fluorescent plasmid in Escherichia coli O157:H7.. AIMS Microbiol 2017;3(4):872-884.
- Luna S, Krishnasamy V, Saw L, Smith L, Wagner J, Weigand J, Tewell M, Kellis M, Penev R, McCullough L, Eason J, McCaffrey K, Burnett C, Oakeson K, Dimond M, Nakashima A, Barlow D, Scherzer A, Sarino M, Schroeder M, Hassan R, Basler C, Wise M, Gieraltowski L. Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated with Exposure to Animal Manure in a Rural Community - Arizona and Utah, June-July 2017.. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018 Jun 15;67(23):659-662.
- Rodriguez-Palacios A, Barman T, LeJeune JT. Three-week summer period prevalence of Clostridium difficile in farm animals in a temperate region of the United States (Ohio).. Can Vet J 2014 Aug;55(8):786-9.
- Rahal EA, Kazzi N, Nassar FJ, Matar GM. Escherichia coli O157:H7-Clinical aspects and novel treatment approaches.. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012;2:138.
- Harris R, Sankar K, Small JA, Suepaul R, Stewart-Johnson A, Adesiyun A. Prevalence and characteristics of enteric pathogens detected in diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic foals in trinidad.. Vet Med Int 2012;2012:724959.
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