Purpose: To analyze MT60 beef manufacturing trimmings sampling data after initiating non-O157 STEC testing.
Methods: FSIS analyzed MT60 sample results from June 2012 to September 2015.*
Results: From June 2012 through September 2015, FSIS collected and tested 10,025 MT60 samples from 540 establishments for E. coli O157:H7 and 9,338 samples from 525 establishments for non-O157 STEC, and the overall percent positives were 0.32% and 0.74%, respectively. For Fiscal Years 2013-2015 the positives ranged from 0.12 to 0.33% for E. coli O157:H7 and 0.51 to 0.82% for non-O157 STEC. The most frequently identified non-O157 STEC was O103, followed by O26 and O111. Very few samples were positive for more than one O-group isolate. On an establishment basis, 5.2% and 9.0% establishments had at least one positive for O157:H7 and non-O157 respectively. Most of the STEC-positive samples were obtained from small or very small establishments based on HACCP size categories. Percent positives were higher in trim samples produced from veal (4.16%) than from adult cattle (0.45%). Seasonal variation was seen in the presence of STEC with higher percent positives recorded from June to September. Finally, percent positives were higher in Northeast, North Central and Southeast regions than in the Southwest or West.
Significance: This analysis informs policy development. More data are needed to determine whether these trends continue and to determine whether there are additional factors to consider.
*FSIS acknowledges the contributions of its field inspectors and lab personnel in sample collection and testing.