Journal of Dairy Science
Volume 91, Issue 7 , Pages 2561-2565 , July 2008

Prevalence and Characteristics of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Swiss Raw Milk Cheeses Collected at Producer Level

  • R. Stephan

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 272, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author.
    • ,
  • S. Schumacher

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 272, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
    • ,
  • S. Corti

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 272, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
    • ,
  • G. Krause

      Affiliations

    • National Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli, Centre for Infectiology and Pathogen Characterization, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
    • ,
  • J. Danuser

      Affiliations

    • Federal Veterinary Office, Schwarzenburgstrasse 155, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
    • ,
  • L. Beutin

      Affiliations

    • National Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli, Centre for Infectiology and Pathogen Characterization, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany

Received 28 January 2008 ,Accepted 3 March 2008.

References 

  1. Al-Saigh H, Zweifel C, Blanco J, Blanco JE, Blanco M, Usera MA, et al. Feacal shedding of Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. in Swiss cattle at slaughter. J. Food Prot. 2004;4:679–684
  2. Allerberger F, Wagner M, Schweiger P, Rammer HP, Resch A, Dierich MP, et al. Escherichia coli O157 infections and unpasteurized milk. Euro Surveill. 2001;6:147–151
  3. Anonymous. 2007. The community summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents, antimicrobial resistance and foodborne outbreaks in the European Union in 2006. EFSA J. 130; http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178671313012.htm Accessed Apr. 25, 2008.
  4. Beutin L, Krause G, Zimmermann S, Kaulfuss S, Gleier K. Characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from human patients in Germany over a 3-year period. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2004;42:1099–1108
  5. Beutin L, Miko A, Krause G, Pries K, Haby S, Steege K, et al. Identification of human-pathogenic strains of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli from food by a combination of serotyping and molecular typing of shiga toxin genes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2007;73:4769–4775
  6. Bielaszewska M, Friedrich AW, Aldick T, Schurk-Bulgrin R, Karch H. Shiga toxin activatable by intestinal mucus in Escherichia coli isolated from humans: Predictor for a severe clinical outcome. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2006;43:1160–1167
  7. Blanco JE, Blanco M, Alonso MP, Mora A, Dahbi G, Coira MA, et al. Serotypes, virulence genes, and intimin types of Shiga toxin (verotoxin-) producing Escherichia coli isolates from human patients: Prevalence in Lugo, Spain, from 1992 through 1999. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2004;42:311–319
  8. Bonnet R, Souweine B, Gauthier G, Rich C, Livrelli V, Sirot J, et al. Non-O157 Stx2-producing Escherichia coli strains associated with sporadic cases of haemolytic-uremic syndrome in adults. J. Clin. Microbiol. 1998;36:1777–1780
  9. Caro I, Garcia-Armesto MR. Occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in a Spanish raw ewe's milk cheese. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2007;116:410–413
  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Outbreak of acute gastroenteritis attributable to Escherichia coli serotype O104:H21-Helena, Montana, 1994. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 1995;44:501–503
  11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection associated with eating fresh cheese curds-Wisconsin, June 1998. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2000;49:911–913
  12. Deschenes G, Dasenave C, Grimont F, Desenclos JC, Benoit S, Collin M, et al. Cluster of cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome due to unpasteurized cheese. Pediatr. Nephrol. 1996;10:203–205
  13. Espié E, Vaillant V, Kariani-Kurkdijian P, Grimot F, Martin-Schaller R, De Valk H, et al. Escherichia coli O157 outbreak associated with fresh unpasteurized goats’ cheese. Epidemiol. Infect. 2006;134:143–146
  14. Fach P, Perelel S, Dilasser F, Grout J. Comparison between a PCR-ELISA test and the vero cell assay for detecting Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in dairy products and characterization of virulence traits of the isolated strains. J. Appl. Microbiol. 2001;90:809–818
  15. Honish L, Predy G, Hislop N, Chui L, Kowalewska-Grochowska K, Trottier L, et al. An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 hemorrhagic colitis associated with unpasteurized gouda cheese. Can. J. Public Health. 2005;96:182–184
  16. Lahti E, Eklund M, Ruutu P, Siitonen A, Tantala L, Nuorti P, et al. Use of phenotyping and genotyping to verify transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from dairy farms. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 2002;21:189–195
  17. Leung PH, Peiris JS, Ng WW, Robins-Browne RM, Bettelheim KA, Yam WC. A newly discovered verotoxin variant, VT2g, produced by bovine verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2003;69:7549–7553
  18. Maher MM, Jordan KN, Upton ME, Coffey A. Growth and survival of E. coli O157:H7 during the manufacture and ripening of a smear-ripened cheese produced from raw milk. J. Appl. Microbiol. 2001;90:201–207
  19. Mora A, Leon SL, Blanco M, Blanco JE, Lopez C, Dahbi G, et al. Phage types, virulence genes and PFGE profiles of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from raw beef, soft cheese and vegetables in Lima (Peru). Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2007;114:204–210
  20. Muehlherr JE, Zweifel C, Corti S, Blanco JE, Stephan R. Microbiological quality of bulk-tank raw milk of goat and ewe in Switzerland. J. Dairy Sci. 2003;86:3849–3856
  21. Paton JC, Paton AW. Pathogenesis and diagnosis of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 1998;11:450–479
  22. Pradel N, Boukhors D, Berin Y, Forestier C, Martin C, Livrelli V. Heterogeneity of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from haemolytic-uremic syndrome patients, cattle, and food samples in central France. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2001;67:2460–2468
  23. Pradel N, Livrelli V, De Champs Ch, Palcoux JB, Reynaud A, Scheutz F, et al. Prevalence and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from cattle, food and children during a one-year prospective study in France. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2000;38:1023–1031
  24. Reistma C, Henning DR. Survival of enterohemorragic Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the manufacture and curing of Cheddar cheese. J. Food Prot. 1996;59:460–464
  25. Rey J, Sanchez S, Blanco JE, Hermoso de Mendoza J, Hermoso de Mendoza M, Garcia A, et al. Prevalence, serotypes and virulence genes of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from ovine and caprine milk and other dairy products in Spain. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2006;107:212–217
  26. Scheutz F, Strockbine NA. Escherichia. In:  Garrity GM,  Brenner DJ,  Krieg NR,  Staley JT editor. Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. New York, NY: Springer; 2005;p. 607–624
  27. Schlesser JE, Gerdes R, Ravishankar S, Madsen K, Mowbray J, Teo AY. Survival of a five-strain cocktail of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the 60-day aging period of cheddar cheese made from unpasteurized milk. J. Food Prot. 2006;69:990–998
  28. Stephan R, Kühn K. Prevalence of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in bovine E. coli mastitis and their antibiotic resistance patterns. J. Vet. Med. B. 1999;46:423–427
  29. Vernozy-Rozand C, Montet MP, Berardin M, Bavai C, Beutin L. Isolation and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains from raw milk cheeses in France. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 2005;41:235–241
  30. Zweifel C, Kaufmann M, Blanco J, Stephan R. Bedeutung von Escherichia coli O157 beim Schlachtschaf in der Schweiz. Schweiz. Arch. Tierheilk. 2006;148:289–295
  31. Zweifel C, Schumacher S, Blanco M, Blanco J, Tasara T, Blanco JE, et al. Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of non-O157 Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli from Swiss cattle. Vet. Microbiol. 2005;105:37–45
  32. Zweifel C, Zychowska MA, Stephan R. Prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. isolated from slaughtered sheep in Switzerland. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2004;92:45–53

PII: S0022-0302(08)71129-9

doi: 10.3168/jds.2008-1055

Journal of Dairy Science
Volume 91, Issue 7 , Pages 2561-2565 , July 2008

Article Tools