Pets as Reservoir Escherichia coli Shiga Toxin-Producer in Mar del Plata

Escherichia coli Shiga toxin-producer (STEC) is an emerging pathogen worldwide being recognized as a cause of severe human diseases, such as hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The aim of this work was to determine the role of companion animals as potential reservoirs of STEC in the epidemiological chain of HUS. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Between October 2010 and April 2013, samples from 162 dogs and cats were processed performing multiplex PCR for detection of stx1, stx2 and rfbO157 genes. Was not detected positive signal by PCR in any of the processed samples. These results from the absence of STEC in animals studied could be because feeding them with feed resulted primarily because the consumption of contaminated foods, such as ground beef, meat products raw or undercooked, constitutes a major infection source for this microorganism