Analysis of feces samples collected from a wild-bird garden feeding station in Scotland for the presence of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157

Composite wild bird feces collected at regular intervals from a garden feeding station in southwest Scotland over a 3-year period were examined for verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 causing infections in humans. The findings indicate that VTEC O157 appears and disappears from cattle herds over time, and it might be that local bird populations play a role in the spread of the organism between farms and possibly over larger distances due to migratory habits.