Contamination of Healthy Livestock with Verocytotoxin Producing Escherichia coli (VTEC), The First Isolation from Goats in Japan

As part of the investigation on the source and route of infection with Verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in human beings, isolation of VTEC was attempted using fresh feces collected from healthy livestock (cattle, swine and goat) raised in Sagamihra, Yokohama and Hiratsuka cities from October, 1991 to March, 1992. VTEC could be isolated from 1 (1.0%) of 105 swine, 2 (3.6%) of 55 cattle and 2 (15.4%) of 13 goats. VTEC was isolated for the first time from goats in Japan. The combinations of the serotype and toxin type of the isolated strains were O116:H21 (VT2) and O163:H19 (VT2) for those isolated from the cattle, OUT:H19 (VT2vp) for that from the swine and OUT:H21 (VT1) for those from the goats. Since VTEC isolated from the cattle and goats were found to produce VT of the same serotypes as human VTEC, domestic animals were considered to be involved as a source of VTEC infection in human beings.