Prevalence and Characterization of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Recovered from Retail Ground Veal within Mid-Atlantic Region of the U.S. -CFDA 10.310

The overall goal of the project is to determine the prevalence, pathogenic potential, and characterization of E. coli O157:H7 in retail ground veal in four states of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The specific objectives are to: 1) determine the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in retail ground veal collected from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; 2) determine the presence of virulence genes (stx1, stx2, eae, ehxA, and others to be determined) in E. coli O157:H7 isolates; 3) Characterize E. coli O157:H7 isolates by genotypic (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) methods; and 4) Share meat samples, enrichment broths, and isolates with STEC CAP collaborators for further testing for USDA-FSIS “big six” adulterant serogroups of non-O157 STEC. 5) Collect approximately 200 additional samples which are to be sent to ARS.