Epidemiology of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157 in the Province of Alberta, Canada, 2009–2016

oleh: Luiz F. Lisboa, Jonas Szelewicki, Alex Lin, Sarah Latonas, Vincent Li, Shuai Zhi, Brendon D. Parsons, Byron Berenger, Sumana Fathima, Linda Chui

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2019-10-01

Deskripsi

Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) infections are the product of the interaction between bacteria, phages, animals, humans, and the environment. In the late 1980s, Alberta had one of the highest incidences of STEC infections in North America. Herein, we revisit and contextualize the epidemiology of STEC O157 human infections in Alberta for the period 2009&#8722;2016. STEC O157 infections were concentrated in large urban centers, but also in rural areas with high cattle density. Hospitalization was often required when the Shiga toxin genotype <i>stx</i>2a <i>stx</i>2c was involved, however, only those aged 60 years or older and infection during spring months (April to June) independently predicted that need. Since the late 1980s, the rate of STEC O157-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in Alberta has remained unchanged at 5.1%, despite a marked drop in the overall incidence of the infection. While Shiga toxin genotypes <i>stx</i>1a <i>stx</i>2c and <i>stx</i>2a <i>stx</i>2c seemed associated with HUS, only those aged under 10 years and infection during spring months were independently predictive of that complication. The complexity of the current epidemiology of STEC O157 in Alberta highlights the need for a One Health approach for further progress to be made in mitigating STEC morbidity.