Prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in beef

Over the past two decades, many human illness outbreaks were attributed to consumption of undercooked beef products containing Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). The illnesses included mild or bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and the life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Tracing these outbreaks to O157 and an increasing number of non-O157 STEC strains suggests that beef safety concerns will continue to rise and may negatively affect the beef industry. To effectively address these concerns, it is critical to evaluate the role of beef in STEC infections. In this review, published reports on beef contamination were evaluated to assess prevalence rates and health risks of STEC isolates. Global testing of beef showed wide ranges of prevalence rates of O157 (from 0.01% to 54.2%) and non-O157 (from 1.7% to 62.5%) STEC. Of the 155 STEC serotypes found in beef, 31 and 25 are known to cause HUS and/or other illnesses, respectively.