Mild Illness during Outbreak of Shiga Toxin−ProducingEscherichia coliO157 Infections Associated with Agricultural Show, Australia

Abstract

During a large outbreak of Shiga toxin−producing Escherichia coli illness associated with an agricultural show in Australia, we used whole-genome sequencing to detect an IS1203v insertion in the Shiga toxin 2c subunit A gene of Shiga toxin−producing E. coli. Our study showed that clinical illness was mild, and hemolytic uremic syndrome was not detected.

Molecular Prediction of the O157:H-Negative Phenotype Prevalent in Australian Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Cases Improves Concordance of In Silico Serotyping with Phenotypic Motility

“…The isolates examined in this study were sourced from the Queensland State Reference Laboratory so the majority of cases are spatially associated with Queensland, Australia in particular; however, some patients were noted as originating from other Australian states or reported domestic travel during the incubation period. The O157:H-negative phenotype has previously been reported in other Australian states (6,7,22), and therefore the O157:H-negative clone characterized in this study appears to be nationally distributed.…”

“…The data represent a total of 63 isolates, of which 13 isolates were initially chosen for whole-genome sequencing to search for motility-related mutations (see Table S1 in the supplemental material), and 50 further O157 isolates were examined for the specific flgF mutation by Sanger sequencing (see Table S2 in the supplemental material). These isolates represent all O157:H7 and H-negative STEC strains isolated from between 2007 and 2016 in Queensland, although only 2 representative isolates were included from a large previously reported outbreak (7). International STEC genomes were obtained from the NCBI GenBank database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/GenBank/) (see Table S3 in the supplemental material).…”

“…The O157:H7 serotype of STEC is typically associated with severe disease, and is responsible for the majority of outbreaks in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom (4). Australia is unique in its STEC epidemiology, however, as severe cases of STEC infection are typically associated with non-O157 serogroups, such as O111, and locally acquired O157 isolates are H-negative/nonmotile (5)(6)(7). Traditional methods of serotyping involve identifying the immunogenic structures, the lipopolysaccharide (O) antigen, and the flagellar (H) antigen phenotypically through antisera.…”

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties of Essential Oils of Zataria multiflora, Artemisia deracunculus and Mentha piperita

“…Moreover, inadequate cooking of foods contaminated with these microorganisms can lead to food poisoning (3). Consumption of Escherichia coli-contaminated food can cause asymptomatic gastrointestinal disease or more serious complications, which might lead to death if not treated (4). Despite the global advances in food safety, salmonellosis is still one of the most important public health issues.…”

The importance of public health genomics for ensuring health security for Australia

“…Public health agencies in Australia have already made good use of whole genome sequencing for outbreak investigations; for example, in a recent outbreak of Mycobacterium chimaera infections associated with cardiac surgery, a large outbreak of Shiga toxin‐producing E. coli in Queensland, and numerous multijurisdictional Salmonella outbreaks. Further, jurisdictions have been successfully employing whole genome sequencing for routine public health surveillance of several other diseases with epidemic potential, including those caused by antimicrobial‐resistant pathogens .…”