Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Faecal Samples from Wild Ruminants.

Wildlife can harbour Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). In the present study, STEC in faecal samples from red deer ( n = 106) and roe deer ( n = 95) were characterised. All isolates were non-O157 strains. In red deer, STEC were detected in 17.9% ( n = 19) of the isolates, and the eae / stx 2b virulence profile was detected in two isolates (10.5%). One STEC strain harboured stx 1a (5.3%) and eighteen STEC strains harboured stx 2 (94.7%). The most prevalent stx 2 subtypes were stx 2b ( n = 12; 66.7%), stx 2a ( n = 3; 16.7%), and stx 2g ( n = 2; 11.1%). One isolate could not be subtyped (NS) with the applied primers (5.6%). The most widely identified serotypes were O146:H28 ( n = 4; 21%), O146:HNM ( n = 2; 10.5%), O103:H7 ( n = 1; 5.3%), O103:H21 ( n = 1; 5.3%), and O45:HNM ( n = 1; 5.3%). In roe deer, STEC were detected in 16.8% ( n = 16) of the isolates, and the eae / stx 2b virulence profile was detected in one isolate (6.3%). Two STEC strains harboured stx 1a (12.5%), one strain harboured stx 1NS / stx 2b (6.3%), and thirteen strains harboured stx 2 (81.3%). The most common subtypes were stx 2b ( n = 8; 61.5%), stx 2g ( n = 2; 15.4%), non-typeable subtypes (NS) ( n = 2; 15.4%), and stx 2a ( n = 1; 7.7%). Serotype O146:H28 ( n = 5; 31.3%) was identified. The study demonstrated that the zoonotic potential of STEC strains isolated from wildlife faeces should be monitored in the context of the 'One Health' approach which links human health with animal and environmental health.