Are antimicrobial interventions associated with heat-resistant Escherichia coli on meat?

Zhang, Peipei; Tran, Frances; Stanford, Kim; Yang, Xianqin

doi:https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/206

Are antimicrobial interventions associated with heat-resistant Escherichia coli on meat?

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creativework.keywords - en: antimicrobial interventions; beef packing plant; beef cattle; heat resistance
creativework.keywords - fr: interventions antimicrobiennes; usine de conditionnement de bœuf; bovins de boucherie; résistance à la chaleur
dc.contributor.author: Zhang, Peipei; Tran, Frances; Stanford, Kim; Yang, Xianqin
dc.date.accessioned: 2023-04-18T12:08:48Z
dc.date.available: 2023-04-18T12:08:48Z
dc.date.issued: 2020-06-17
dc.description.abstract - en: Decontamination practices, which often involve thermal treatments, are routinely performed in beef packing plants and have generally improved the safety of meat in North America. We investigated whether Escherichia coli in the beef production chain is becoming more heat resistant due to those treatments. Cattle isolates (n = 750) included seven serogroups (O157, O103, O111, O121, O145, O26, and O45) which were collected between 2002 and 2017. Beef plant isolates (n = 700) from carcasses, fabrication equipment, and beef products were included. Heat resistance was determined in Luria-Bertani broth at 60°C and by PCR screening for the locus of heat resistance (LHR). The decimal reduction for E. coli at 60°C (D60ºC values) ranged from 0 to 7.54 min, with 97.2% of the values being <2 min. The prevalence of E. coli with D60ºC values of >2 min was not significantly different (P > 0.05) among cattle and meat plant isolates. E. coli from equipment before sanitation (median, 1.03 min) was more heat resistant than that after sanitation (median, 0.9 min). No significant difference in D60ºC values was observed among E. coli isolates from different years, from carcasses before and after antimicrobial interventions, or from before and during carcass chilling. Of all isolates, 1.97% harbored LHR, and the LHR-positive isolates had greater median D60ºC values than the LHR-negative isolates (3.25 versus 0.96 min). No increase in heat resistance in E. coli was observed along the beef production chain or with time. IMPORTANCE: The implementation of multiple hurdles in the beef production chain has resulted in substantial improvement in the microbial safety of beef in Canada. In this study, we characterized a large number of Escherichia coli isolates (n = 1,450) from various sources/stages of beef processing to determine whether the commonly used antimicrobial interventions would give rise to heat-resistant E. coli on meat, which in turn may require alternatives to the current control of pathogens and/or modifications to the current cooking recommendations for meat. The findings show that the degree and rate of heat resistance in E. coli did not increase along the production chain or with time. This furthers our understanding of man-made ecological niches that are required for the development of heat resistance in E. coli.
dc.description.plainlanguage - en: We investigated whether Escherichia coli in the beef production chain is becoming more heat resistant due to decontamination treatments used in plants. Cattle isolates (n = 750) included seven serogroups. Beef plant isolates (n = 700) were from carcasses, fabrication equipment, and beef products. Heat resistance was determined in at 60°C and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening for the locus of heat resistance (LHR), a genomic island conferring heat resistance. The decimal reduction for E. coli at 60°C ranged from 0 to 7.54 min, with 97.2% of the values being <2 min. No difference was noted between cattle and meat plant isolates in fraction of E. coli with decimal reduction values of >2 min. E. coli from equipment before sanitation was more heat resistant than that after sanitation. No significant difference heat resistance was observed among E. coli isolates from different years, from carcasses before and after antimicrobial interventions, or from before and during carcass chilling. Of all isolates, 1.97% harbored LHR. No increase in heat resistance in E. coli was observed along the beef production chain or with time. The findings show that the degree and rate of heat resistance in E. coli did not increase along the production chain or with time.
dc.description.plainlanguage - fr: Nous avons cherché à savoir si, dans la chaîne de production du bœuf, la bactérie Escherichia coli devient plus résistante à la chaleur en raison des traitements de décontamination qui y sont faits. Les isolats de bovins (n = 750) comprenaient sept sérogroupes. Les isolats (n = 700) d'établissements de transformation provenaient de carcasses, d’équipement de fabrication et de produits de viande. La résistance à la chaleur a été déterminée à 60 °C et par criblage PCR du locus de la résistance à la chaleur (LHR), un ilôt génomique conférant la résistance à la chaleur. La réduction décimale d'E. coli à 60 °C variait de 0 à 7,54 min, 97,2 % des valeurs étant inférieures à 2 min. Aucune différence n’a été notée entre les isolats de bovins et d'établissements de transformation dans la fraction d’E. coli avec des valeurs de réduction décimale > 2 min. Les E. coli qui provenaient de l’équipement avant l'assainissement étaient plus résistants à la chaleur que ceux prélevés après l'assainissement. Aucune différence significative de résistance à la chaleur n’a été observée entre les isolats des différentes années, des carcasses avant et après les interventions antimicrobiennes, ou avant et pendant le refroidissement des carcasses. Parmi tous les isolats, 1,97 % possédaient le LHR. Aucune augmentation de la résistance à la chaleur chez E. coli n’a été observée au long de la chaîne de production du bœuf ni avec le temps. Les résultats montrent que le degré et le taux de résistance à la chaleur chez E. coli n’augmentent pas au long de la chaîne de production ni avec le temps.
dc.identifier.citation: Zhang, P., Tran, F., Stanford, K., & Yang, X. (2020). Are Antimicrobial Interventions Associated with Heat-Resistant Escherichia coli on Meat? Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 86(13). https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00512-20
dc.identifier.doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00512-20
dc.identifier.issn: 1098-5336
dc.identifier.uri: https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/206
dc.language.iso: en
dc.publisher: American Society for Microbiology
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en: Green
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr: Vert
dc.subject - en: Agriculture
dc.subject - fr: Agriculture
dc.subject.en - en: Agriculture
dc.subject.fr - fr: Agriculture
dc.title - en: Are antimicrobial interventions associated with heat-resistant Escherichia coli on meat?
dc.title.fosrctranslation - fr: Are antimicrobial interventions associated with heat-resistant Escherichia coli on meat?
dc.type - en: Article
dc.type - fr: Article
local.article.journalissue: 13
local.article.journaltitle: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
local.article.journalvolume: 86
local.peerreview - en: Yes
local.peerreview - fr: Oui

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