

@article {14830,
	title = {Concentration and prevalence of {Escherichia} coli {O}157 in cattle feces at slaughter},
	journal = {Appl Environ Microbiol},
	volume = {69},
	number = {5},
	year = {2003},
	pages = {2444{\textendash}2447},
	abstract = {The concentration and prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle feces at the time of slaughter was studied over a 9-week period from May to July 2002. Fecal samples (n = 589) were collected from the rectums of slaughtered cattle, and the animal-level prevalence rate was estimated to be 7.5\% (95\% confidence interval [CI], 5.4 to 9.6\%) while the group prevalence was 40.4\% (95\% CI, 27.7 to 53.2\%). Of the 44 infected animals detected, 9\% were high shedders that contained E. coli O157 at concentrations of {\textbackslash}textbackslashtextgreater10(4) CFU g(-1). These 9\% represented {\textbackslash}textbackslashtextgreater96\% of the total E. coli O157 produced by all animals tested. All isolates possessed the vt(2) gene, 39 had the eaeA gene, and a further five had the vt(1) gene also. The presence of high-shedding animals at the abattoir increases the potential risk of meat contamination during the slaughtering process and stresses the need for correctly implemented hazard analysis and critical control point procedures.},
	author = {Omisakin, F and MacRae, M and Ogden, I D and Strachan, N J}
}
