Cross-Sectional Study Reveals High Prevalence of Clostridium difficile Non-PCR Ribotype 078 Strains in Australian Veal Calves at Slaughter

Abstract

c Recent reports in North America and Europe of Clostridium difficile being isolated from livestock and retail meats of bovine origin have raised concerns about the risk to public health. To assess the situation in Australia, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of C. difficile in adult cattle and calves at slaughter. Carcass washings, gastrointestinal contents, and feces were collected from abattoirs across five Australian states. Selective culture, toxin profiling, and PCR ribotyping were performed. The prevalence of C. difficile was 56% (203/360 samples) in feces from <7-day-old calves, 3.8% (1/26) in 2-to 6-month-old calves, and 1.8% (5/280) in adult cattle. Three PCR ribotypes (RTs), RT127, RT033, and RT126, predominated in <7-day-old calves and comprised 77.8% (158/203 samples) of isolates. RT056, which has not been reported in cattle before, was found in 16 <7-day-old calves (7.7%). Surprisingly, RT078 strains, which dominate production animal carriage studies in the Northern Hemisphere, were not isolated.

Comparison of Clostridium difficile Ribotypes Circulating in Australian Hospitals and Communities

“…While there is no conclusive evidence that contaminated food leads to CDI in humans, studies have found that retail vegetables are contaminated with C. difficile strains similar to those affecting humans (31,32). Likewise, the C. difficile ribotypes frequently isolated in the current study, such as 014/020 and 056, are common ribotypes found in piglets and veal calves, respectively, in Australia (33,34). Therefore, the possibility of food being a vehicle of C. difficile transmission cannot be ruled out.…”

Community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection and Australian food animals

“…Human and piglet RTs overlap but epidemiological links have not been determined. C. difficile prevalence in Australian cattle at slaughter ranges from 56% in veal calves <7 days of age to 1.8% in adult cattle 33 . This is higher than other cattle producing countries [34][35][36][37][38] , possibly because of differences in slaughter age.…”

Laboratory Detection of Clostridium difficile in Piglets in Australia

“…Unlike the Northern Hemisphere where a single PCR ribotype (RT), RT078, predominates in swine herds (19), in Australia there are many different RTs circulating among livestock (sheep, cattle, and pigs), including RT033, RT126, RT127, and RT237 (20,21). To understand the role of C. difficile in piglet disease in Australia, it is essential that veterinary diagnostic laboratories are able to detect the organism in a timely and cost-effective manner.…”