Evaluation of the potential pathogenic risk of domestic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli based on their virulence gene combination

Abstract

ObjectiveThe pathogenic potential of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli （STEC） isolated from different sources in China was classified to provide reference for risk management of STEC.MethodsThis study used hazard classification method，porposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization’s report， what name is Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli （STEC） and food： attribution， characterization and monitoring. We used to classify and analyze the published STEC data in China from 2018 to 2022.ResultsSTEC isolates were classified as low-risk （72.9%）， high-hazard （26.0%） and highest-hazard （1.1%） strains. The high-hazard strains were mainly from cattle or beef food （95.3%）， only 8 highest hazard strains were from cattle and patients.ConclusionThe serotypes of STEC strains are not enough to evaluate the virulence of STEC strains. The virulence gene combination is a more reliable method to classify the risk of STEC infection. This method could provide reference for STEC surveillance and risk assessment in China.

Keywords

• shiga toxin-producing escherichia coli
• virulence genes
• foodborne pathogens
• hazard classification