Heterogeneous shedding of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle and its implications for control.

ABSTRACT: Identification of the relative importance of within- and between-host variability in infectiousness and the impact of these heterogeneities on the transmission dynamics of infectious agents can enable efficient targeting of control measures. Cattle, a major reservoir host for the zoonotic pathogen Escherichia coli O157, are known to exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity in bacterial shedding densities. By relating bacterial count to infectiousness and fitting dynamic epidemiological models to prevalence data from a cross-sectional survey of cattle farms in Scotland, we identify a robust pattern: approximately 80% of the transmission arises from the 20% most infectious individuals. We examine potential control options under a range of assumptions about within- and between-host variability

SUBMITTER: Matthews L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1325964 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature