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The survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in slurry from cattle fed different diets
P McGee1, D J Bolton, J J Sheridan
1The National Food Centre, Teagasc, Dublin, Ireland. p.mcgee@nfc.teagasc.ie
Aims:
The survival characteristics of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 were investigated in bovine slurry from cattle fed two different diets: (i) silage and (ii) silage + concentrates.
Methods And Results:
Slurry samples collected from freshly-agitated tanks were inoculated at a level of log10 6.0 cfu g(-1) and stored in the laboratory at 10 degrees C. Over a 12 week storage period, a 3.5 and 5.5 log reduction was observed in slurry from cattle fed a silage and silage plus concentrate diet, respectively.
Conclusions:
The persistence of E. coli O157:H7 in slurry over a 3 month storage period indicates its potential for transmitting the organism back into the environment.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
The discussion concludes however, that despite pathogen survival in slurry, it may not represent a major source of transmission in the farm environment.
