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Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in lambs at slaughter in Rome, central Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2005

A. BATTISTI ,
S. LOVARI ,
A. FRANCO ,
A. Di EGIDIO ,
R. TOZZOLI ,
A. CAPRIOLI  and
S. MORABITO
A. BATTISTI
Affiliation:
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178 Rome, Italy
S. LOVARI
Affiliation:
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178 Rome, Italy
A. FRANCO
Affiliation:
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178 Rome, Italy
A. Di EGIDIO
Affiliation:
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178 Rome, Italy
R. TOZZOLI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Sanità Alimentare ed Animale, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
A. CAPRIOLI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Sanità Alimentare ed Animale, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
S. MORABITO
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Sanità Alimentare ed Animale, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Abstract

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A study on the prevalence of the faecal carriage of Escherichia coli O157 in lambs was performed in the major slaughterhouse in Rome, central Italy, during 2002. A total of 643 animals, consisting of 378 weaned and 265 suckling lambs, were assayed for the presence of E. coli O157. Five O157-agglutinating E. coli strains were isolated (0·8%, 95% CI 0·3–1·9). Only one was positive to PCR specific for the eae gene and produced verocytotoxin VT2, with a VTEC O157 overall prevalence of 0·2% (95% CI 0·0–1·0), whereas one strain possessed the eae gene only. All the other isolates were negative for the presence of all the virulence genes considered. The animals were either from local farms or imported from Eastern Europe. The results suggest an age-specific difference since the microorganism was isolated only from 0·3% (95% CI 0·0–1·7) of weaned lambs, while all samples from suckling lambs tested negative. From this study, the overall risk of human exposure to pathogenic E. coli O157 from lamb meat consumption derived from the major slaughterhouse in Rome can be considered reasonably low, particularly when suckling lamb meat is considered.

Type
Short Report
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 134 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 415 - 419
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press