A 3-Year Epidemiological Surveillance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Dogs and Cats in Japan

Abstract

For three years investigations from 1996 to 1998, we tried to isolate Escherichia coli O157:H7 from fecal samples collected from dogs and cats. In results, E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from 1 out of 614 samples (0.16%). This isolate produced Stx1 and Stx2 and was isolated from a dog kept by a human patient infected with E. coli O157:H7. Excluding in this case, dogs and cats as companion animals, therefore, may not give harbor to E. coli O157:H7.