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The project goal is to describe and analyze the agro-ecologic interrelationships between bovine shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC) fecal shedding and hide surface contamination and synanthropic muscoid fly STEC occurrence and fly population densities in dairy and beef cattle operations in multiple states. There are two related research objectives to address this goal: (1): To measure the summer point prevalence of STEC O157, O111, and O26 in feces and on hides of cattle and in locally abundant muscoid pest fly populations (primarily house, stable, and horn flies) and concurrently estimate fly population densities on 60 dairy and beef (feedlot and cowcalf) farms, and (2) To determine the agro-ecologic inter-relationships between pest flies, cattle, and STEC O157, O111, and O26 by intensively monitoring fly population densities and fly and cattle STEC occurrence on four Nebraska and two Tennessee cattle farms over two years (cohort [time trend] study).
Diagnostic and molecular microbiology along with established entomologic and epidemiologic techniques will be used to determine the agro-ecologic inter-relationships between pest flies, cattle, and STEC. This study will determine the propensity of pest filth flies to naturally harbor STEC, to transmit or amplify STEC on cattle farms, and to act as diagnostic markers of bovine STEC infections.