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Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) belonging to the "top 7″ serotypes (i.e. O157:H7, O26:H11, O45:H2, O103:H2, O111:H8, O121:H19 and O145:H28) are considered as the main pathogenic enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). As ruminants, including calves, are a reservoir of pathogenic STEC, we investigated the prevalence, major virulence genes and genetic relatedness of top7 STEC in veal calves slaughtered in France, through the analysis of 500 fecal samples collected over one year. Thirty top7 STEC isolates were recovered from 28 calves. The two serotypes O103:H2 and O26:H11 accounted for 73% of STEC strains, followed by O145:H28 and O157:H7. STEC super-shedding levels were identified for two calves carrying STEC O103:H2 and O157:H7, respectively. Thirty-nine atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC) were also recovered from calves. Overall, a prevalence of 5.6% top7 STEC-positive calves was found, thus higher than that previously determined for the French slaughtered adult cattle (1.8%), confirming the impact of animals age on STEC carriage. Most top7 STEC strains carried the stx1a subtype suggesting a low pathogenicity for humans. Seasonal variation in STEC carriage was also observed, with two peaks of higher prevalence during spring and fall. Genetic similarity of top7 STEC isolates was found for calves originating from the same fattening facilities, reflecting STEC circulation between animals kept in groups. This study indicates that veal calves grown for meat production are at higher risk of shedding top7 STEC compared to adult cattle. They thus represent ideal targets for the implementation of farm interventions aimed at reducing STEC burden in cattle and the food chain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Enteroaggregative Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains were responsible for a massive outbreak in Europe in 2011, and had been previously isolated from French patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) in slaughterhouse effluents (wastewater, slurry, sludge and effluents), and in river waters near these slaughterhouses. A total of 10,618 E. coli isolates were screened by PCR for the presence of EAEC-associated genetic markers (aggR, aap and aatA). None of these markers was detected in E. coli isolated from slaughterhouse samples. A unique enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) O126:H8 was detected in river water sampled upstream from slaughterhouse effluent discharge. These results confirmed that animals might not be reservoirs of EAEC, and that further studies are required to evaluate the role of the environment in the transmission of EAEC to humans., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In May-June 2011, a massive outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by enteroaggregative Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 occurred in Europe, which was linked to the consumption of sprouted seeds. As ruminants are known reservoirs of STEC, this study investigated whether cattle could be a reservoir of enteroaggregative STEC O104:H4 and a potential source of transmission to humans. A total of 1468 French cattle were analysed for faecal carriage of the outbreak strain by PCR assays targeting stx2, wzx(O104), fliC(H4) and aggR genetic markers. None of the faecal samples contained the four markers simultaneously, indicating that cattle is not a reservoir of this recently emerged E. coli pathotype., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The cytolethal distending toxins (CDT) are responsible for the mitosis block at G2/M and the cycle arrest of cells in culture. Escherichia coli isolated from humans and animals with intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases can be positive for the production of a CDT-like cytopathic effect or for the presence of cdt-related genes. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence and the identity of cdt-related sequences in necrotoxigenic E. coli (NTEC). A collection of 98 bovine type 2 NTEC (NTEC2) and 45 bovine, 20 canine, 3 feline, 65 human and 129 porcine type 1 NTEC (NTEC1) isolates was studied by colony hybridisation and PCR assays specific for the cdtB genes encoding the B sub-unit of the CDT-I, CDT-II, CDT-III and CDT-IV toxins produced by E. coli. cdtB-III sequences were frequent amongst bovine NTEC2, since 83% of these isolates were positive by colony hybridisation and/or PCR, whereas cdtB-related sequences were rare amongst NTEC1, since only 2 bovine (4%), 3 canine (15%), 10 human (15%) and 13 porcine (10%) of these isolates were positive. The 28 probe-positive NTEC1 harboured cdtB-IV sequences (13 isolates), cdtB-I sequences (10 isolates), or still unidentified cdt-related sequences (5 isolates). After comparison with previously published and unpublished results of phenotypic assay on cell cultures, existence of other cdt-related sequences is suggested amongst NTEC1. The differences between NTEC1 and NTEC2 in their CDT profiles may have implication for the pathogenesis of those two classes of pathogenic E. coli.