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Title: PREVALENCE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 IN WHITE-TAILED DEER FROM LOUISIANA

Author
item DUNN, JOHN - CDC
item Keen, James
item MORELAND, DAVID - LA DEPT WLDLF FISHERIES
item THOMPSON, R - UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL

Submitted to: Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/24/2003
Publication Date: 4/1/2004
Citation: Dunn, J.R., Keen, J.E., Moreland, D., Thompson, R.A. 2004. Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in white-tailed deer from louisiana. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 40(2):361-365.

Interpretive Summary: White-tailed deer have been implicated in the transmission of E. coli O157 to humans via contaminated venison and may also be wildlife infection reservoirs for domestic cattle. The objectives of this study were two-fold: (1) to estimate fecal prevalence of E. coli O157 in autumn hunter-harvested Louisiana deer and (2) to describe fecal shedding patterns in a sample from a captive Louisiana herd composed of about 125 deer sampled six times over a one year period. Sensitive E. coli O157 detection methods were used. Prevalence of E. coli O157 in the hunter-harvested deer was 0.3% (1/338). In the captive deer herd, fecal prevalence was 0.4% (1/226); the E. coli O157 fecal isolation occurred in August. In conclusion, E. coli O157 was rarely isolated from both hunter-harvested deer during the winter and from a captive deer herd, in agreement with previous surveys for E. coli O157 fecal prevalence in white tail deer. Given this data, we believe it is unlikely that deer in winter play a major role in the epidemiology of E. coli O157 in domestic cattle in Louisiana.

Technical Abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EC O157) is an important zoonosis. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been implicated in transmission of this bacterium to humans and have been suggested as reservoirs that might affect carriage in cattle populations. Our study objectives were to estimate prevalence of EC O157 in feces of hunter-harvested deer and to describe fecal shedding patterns in a captive herd sampled over one year. Prevalence of EC O157 in hunter-harvested deer was 0.3% (n=338). In August 2001, EC O157 was detected from one of 55 deer (1.8%) from the captive herd. Prevalence over the one-year period was 0.4% (n=226). EC O157 was rarely isolated from hunter-harvested deer during the winter. We could not describe a seasonal shedding pattern based on one positive sample in the captive herd. These data do not support a prominent role of deer as a reservoir for EC O157 for cattle or humans.