The risk of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Sicily, through imported bovines for slaughter

The presence of Escherichia coli 0157:117, an emerging pathogen that has been. responsible of serious epidemics of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in several countries, has been detected in rectal swabs in 13 out of 201 (6,5%) calves imported in Sicily (Italy) from France, 7 out of 154 (4,5%) calves imported from Spain, and only one out of 207 (0,5%) calves from Sicilian farms. The only positive Sicilian calf was from a farm where imported calves had been stalled some days before. All the isolates showed eaeA and hlyA virulence genes. Genes for verocytotoxins were detected in 18 isolates, which showed the following genotypes: stx2c (12 isolates), stxl stx2 (4 isolates), sal (1 isolate), stxl stx2c (1 isolate). On the bases of these results it seems that E. coli 0157:H7 is not endemic in the Sicilian farms, but a consistent risk of introduction is represented by the importation of calves.