2023 Volume 76 Issue 6 Pages e157-e163
To determine the prevalence of Escherichia albertii, an emerging zoonotic foodborne pathogen, in swine, 105 fecal samples from swine delivered to a slaughterhouse in Akita Prefecture in Japan and 81 environmental samples, including floor swabs, bedding materials and water from pig farms, were collected and examined for E. albertii using nested-PCR testing. E. albertii was detected in 23 of the swine fecal samples, with a positive rate of 21.9%. Furthermore, E. albertii was also detected in environmental samples in a swine farm with a high prevalence of E. albertii. A total of 10 E. albertii isolates were obtained from five fecal samples from swine and five bedding materials samples (biobeds) in the farm. These E. albertii isolates possessed eae, paa, and Eacdt as virulence genes, had an O-genotype of EAOg25, and showed similar PFGE patterns except for one isolate as determined using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Our results indicated that E. albertii was carried at a relatively high rate in swine in Akita Prefecture, and that certain E. albertii strains had spread throughout the rearing environment of the farm.
