Associations between Escherichia coli O157 shedding and the faecal microbiota of dairy cows.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Dairy cattle shed pathogenic Escherichia coli O157 (O157) in faeces, playing a role in human exposure. We aimed to measure faecal microbial communities in early lactation dairy cattle, and model outcomes with O157 shedding metrics.

Methods and results

Daily faecal samples were collected from 40 cattle on two Colorado dairies for five consecutive days, and characterized for O157. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to measure sample-level microbial communities. Alpha-diversity metrics were associated with O157 outcomes via regression modelling, adjusting for confounders. Differential abundance of taxa were identified between O157(+) and O157(-) samples and between shedding days of individuals, using matched Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, zero-inflated Gaussian (ZIG) regression a

SUBMITTER: Stenkamp-Strahm C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9491513 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature