An Overview of Shiga-Toxin Producing Escherichia coli Carriage and Prevalence in the Ovine Meat Production Chain

Abstract

Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are zoonotic foodborne pathogens that are capable of causing serious human illness. Ovine ruminants are recognized as an important source of STEC and a notable contributor to contamination within the food industry. This review examined the prevalence of STEC in the ovine food production chain from farm-to-fork, reporting carriage in sheep herds, during abattoir processing, and in raw and ready-to-eat meats and meat products. Factors affecting the prevalence of STEC, including seasonality and animal age, were also examined. A relative prevalence can be obtained by calculating the mean prevalence observed over multiple surveys, weighted by sample number. A relative mean prevalence was obtained for STEC O157 and all STEC serogroups at multiple points along the ovine production chain by using suitable published surveys. A relative mean prevalence (and range) for STEC O157 was calculated: for feces 4.4% (0.2–28.1%), fleece 7.6% (0.8–12.8%), carcass 2.1% (0.2–9.8%), and raw ovine meat 1.9% (0.2–6.3%). For all STEC independent of serotype, a relative mean prevalence was calculated: for feces 33.3% (0.9–90.0%), carcass 58.7% (2.0–81.6%), and raw ovine meat 15.4% (2.7–35.5%). The prevalence of STEC in ovine fleece was reported in only one earlier survey, which recorded a prevalence of 86.2%. Animal age was reported to affect shedding in many surveys, with younger animals typically reported as having a higher prevalence of the pathogen. The prevalence of STEC decreases significantly along the ovine production chain after the application of postharvest interventions. Ovine products pose a small risk of potential STEC contamination to the food supply chain.