Isolation, Characterization, and Epidemiological Assessment of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coliO84 Isolates from New Zealand

ABSTRACTShiga toxin-producing Escherichia coliO84 isolates (n= 22) were examined using culture- and molecularly based methods in order to compare their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. These analyses directly linked Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coliO84 isolates from cattle and sheep with human isolates indicating that New Zealand livestock may be a reservoir of infection.