Escherichia coli, cattle and the propagation of disease

Abstract

Several early models describing host-pathogen interaction have assumed that each individual host has approximately the same likelihood of becoming infected or of infecting others. More recently, a concept that has been increasingly emphasized in many studies is that for many infectious diseases, transmission is not homogeneous but highly skewed at the level of populations. In what became known as the '20/80 rule', about 20% of the hosts in a population were found to contribute to about 80% of the transmission potential. These heterogeneities have been described for the interaction between many microorganisms and their human or animal hosts. Several epidemiological studies have reported transmission heterogeneities for Escherichia coli by cattle, a phenomenon with far-reaching agricultural, medical and public health implications. Focusing on E. coli as a case study, this paper will describe super-spreading and super-shedding by cattle, review the main factors that shape these transmission heterogeneities and examine the interface with human health. Escherichia coli super-shedding and super-spreading by cattle are shaped by microorganism-specific, cattle-specific and environmental factors. Understanding the factors that shape heterogeneities in E. coli dispersion by cattle and the implications for human health represent key components that are critical for targeted infection control initiatives.

Extreme Competence: Keystone Hosts of Infections

“…Supershedder: a host that passes a large parasite burden into the environment. taurus) deposit more Escherichia coli into feedlots than others, making them putative supershedders [16]. Supershedding, unlike superspreading, could make some terrestrial habitats enduring hotspots for infection [17].…”

Occurrence of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in meat and swab samples of various contact surfaces at abattoir and butcher shops in Jimma town, Southwest district of Ethiopia

“…Escherichia coli are a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and are normal inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. Some strains, such as shiga toxin-producing enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is the predominant and most virulent serotype associated with bloody and non-bloody diarrhea, haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) [1,2]. Ruminants are said to be reservoirs, whereby cattle are regarded as principal sources of infections.…”

Vaccines the tugboat for prevention-based animal production

“…Clinical manifestations caused by E. coli infection are enteric colibacilosis, colisepticaemia, edema disease, and coliform mastitis, etc. in young (calves, lambs, chicks, and piglets) and adult animals, leading to economic losses (Stein and Katz, 2017). Besides, infected animals are also a potential source for human infections.…”