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P3-16 Presence of Shiga-toxin Producing Escherichia coli in Small and Very Small Beef Processing Plants and Resulting Beef Products Detected by a Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Exhibit Hall (Rhode Island Convention Center)
Amanda Svoboda, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Chitrita DebRoy, Penn State University, University Park, PA
Edward Dudley, Penn State University, University Park, PA
Edward Mills, Penn State University, University Park, PA
Catherine Cutter, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
Introduction: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are pathogens attributed to numerous foodborne illnesses resulting in gastrointestinal disease of varying severity, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. Cattle and consequently, beef products are considered a major source of STEC. E. coli O157:H7 has been regulated as an adulterant in ground beef since 1996.

Purpose: The USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service has proposed that 6 additional STEC (O145, O121, O111, O103, O45 and O26) will be regulated as adulterants in beef trim and raw ground beef, beginning in March 2012. It is the goal of this research to determine if small and very small beef processing plants are a potential source of STEC.

Methods: In this study, carcass swabs, hide swabs, ground beef and environmental samples from small and very small beef processing plants were obtained from October 2010 to December 2011 to determine the presence of STEC. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay was used to determine the presence of STEC O157, O145, O121, O113, O111, O103, O45 and O26 in the samples.

Results: Results demonstrated that 35.0% (71/203) of the carcass samples, 56.6% (154/272) of the environmental samples, 85.2% (23/27) of the hide samples and 17.0% (20/118) of the ground beef samples tested positive for one or more of the serogroups. However, only 0.044% (9/203) of the carcass samples, 0.074% (20/272) of the environmental samples, 0% (0/27) of the hide samples and 0% (0/118) ground beef samples tested positive for both the serogroup and Shiga toxin genes.

Significance: Based on this survey, small and very small beef processors may be a source of the 6 non-O157:H7 STEC. The information from this study may be of interest to regulatory officials, researchers, public health personnel, and the beef industry that are interested in the presence of these pathogens in the beef supply.

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