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Re: [SANET-MG] no smoking cow?



To Lawrence and Jeff,
Here are two current publications (in press) on the occurrence of E coli 0157 in USA , Both studies show a shocking level of the toxic bacteria in US farm animals, mainly cows.
1: Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 May;12(5):780-6.
Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157 in agricultural fair livestock, United States.Keen JE, Wittum TE, Dunn JR, Bono JL, Durso LM. Agricultural Research Service, US Meat Animal Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA. keen@email.marc.usda.gov

Agricultural fairs exhibiting livestock are increasingly implicated in human Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) outbreaks. To estimate livestock STEC O157:H7 prevalence at US fairs, we collected 2,919 fecal specimens at 29 county fairs in 2 states and at 3 state fairs in 2002. Fly pools were also collected. STEC O157:H7 was isolated from livestock at 31 (96.9%) of 32 fairs, including 11.4% of 1,407 cattle, 1.2% of 1,102 swine, 3.6% of 364 sheep and goats, and 5.2% of 154 fly pools. Cattle, swine, and flies at some fairs shared indistinguishable STEC O157:H7 isolate subtypes. In 2003, a total of 689 ambient environmental samples were collected at 20 fairgrounds 10-11 months after 2002 livestock sampling while fairgrounds were livestock-free. Four beef barn environmental samples at 3 fairgrounds yielded STEC O157:H7. These data suggest that STEC O157 is common and transmissible among livestock displayed at agricultural fairs and persists in the environment after the fair.
doi:10.1016/j.vetmic.2006.07.021
Veterinary Microbiology  in press
Short communication

Prevalence of shiga toxin-encoding bacteria and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from dairy farms and county fairs

Seongbeom Choa, Francisco Diez-Gonzalezb, Charles P. Fosslera, Scott J. Wellsa, Craig W. Hedbergc, John B. Kaneened, Pamela L. Ruegge, Lorin D. Warnickf and Jeffrey B. Bendera, , aDepartment of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1354 Eckles Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA bDepartment of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA cDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA dThe Population Medicine Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
eDepartment of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
fDepartment of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

Received 18 April 2006; revised 21 July 2006; revised 27 July 2006. Available online 2 August 2006.




Abstract
Shiga toxin-encoding bacteria (STB) and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) were detected and isolated from dairy cattle and their farm environment and from manure piles at Minnesota (MN) county fairs from 2001 to 2002.

A total of 2540 samples were collected from 28 dairy cattle farms (8 organic and 20 conventional), 17 calf pens (5 organic and 12 conventional), and 12 county fairs. STB were detected from 71 (3.2%) of 2208 fecal samples with 20 (71.4%) of 28 dairy farms having at least one positive animal sample. In samples collected from conventional farms, 41 (2.3%) of 1750 fecal samples were STB-positive and 13 (65%) of 20 farms had at least one positive animal. Thirty (6.6%) of 458 fecal samples from organic farms were STB-positive and 7 (87.5%) of 8 farms had at least one positive animal. STB was detected from 31 (17.4%) of 178 samples and 7 (58.3%) out of 12 manure piles at county fairs. A total of 43 STEC isolates were recovered and belonged to 26 different serotypes (19 O and 18 H types). Among STEC, 60.5% possessed only stx1, 30.2% stx2, and 9.3% both stx1 and stx2. The genes eae and hlyA were detected in more than 50% of the STEC isolates.

STB can be found on most dairy cattle farms including organic and conventional herds and county fairs. The presence of these potentially pathogenic bacteria in county fairs may pose a risk to the public who have contact with cattle or their environment.

My comments, the results of these recent surveys should alert USDA and the sate Ag departments to begin to take action to insure that massive outbreaks of the toxic bacteria are prevented and the bacterium is rolled back.
sincerely, joe cummins




Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
Jeff Schahczenski wrote:

Is E coli 0157 in every cow not matter how it is raised? This seems to be the implication?

Where did you get that idea?
jcummins wrote:
> Your composted manure will, no doubt, be free of E. coli 0157. However,
> it is clear that healthy cattle frequently have E. coli in their
> intestines which does not cause them to have diarrhea or have any
> symptoms. E coli kills people but not cows because the human has a cell
> surface receptor on the cells of the gut that allow the bacteria to
> inject verotoxin into their cells, cows lack such those receptors. The

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> healthy cattle could pick up E coli 0157 from a visit from the vet or
> from a neighbors car or truck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It does seem that every cow is capable of carrying E coli 0157 but that is not
the norm. They would have to pick it up from other animals.
Maybe it is not transmitted that easily. If you want to use feedlot or dairy farm manure, have it tested. Pasture manure from grass-fed free range animals (any kind) would seem to be the safest. As Sal mentioned, alley cropping with livestock, using a rotational grazing and cropping system would allow the manure to be used in the most efficient way. Short of that, collecting the most manure in the smallest
space by feeding hay in the same spot would be second best.

Historically, how often has E coli 0157 been a problem for producers and what were the circumstances in those incidents? For fruit and vegetable farmers growing adjacent to or in proximity to dairy or beef operations it would always be wise to
plan irrigation, drainage and runoff carefully.


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