Combining risk assessment and epidemiological risk factors to elucidate the sources of human E-coli O157 infection

O. Rotariu; I. D. Ogden; L. MacRitchie; K. J. Forbes; A. P. Williams; P. Cross; C. J. Hunter; P. F. M. Teunis; N. J. C. Strachan

doi:10.1017/S0950268811001646

Combining risk assessment and epidemiological risk factors to elucidate the sources of human E-coli O157 infection

O. Rotariu, I. D. Ogden, L. MacRitchie, K. J. Forbes, A. P. Williams, P. Cross, C. J. Hunter, P. F. M. Teunis, N. J. C. Strachan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

E. coil O157 can be transmitted to humans by three primary (foodborne, environmental, waterborne) and one secondary (person-to-person transmission) pathways. A regression model and quantitative microbiological risk assessments (QMRAs) were applied to determine the relative importance of the primary transmission pathways in NE Scotland. Both approaches indicated that waterborne infection was the least important but it was unclear whether food or the environment was the main source of infection. The QMRAs over-predicted the number of cases by a factor of 30 and this could be because all E. coil O157 strains may not be equally infective and/or the level of infectivity in the dose response model was too high. The efficacy of potential risk mitigation strategies to reduce human exposure to E. coli O157 using QM RAs was simulated. Risk mitigation strategies focusing on food and environment are likely to have the biggest impact on infection figures.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1414-1429
Number of pages	16
Journal	Epidemiology and Infection
Volume	140
Issue number	8
Early online date	27 Sept 2011
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268811001646
Publication status	Published - Aug 2012

Bibliographical note

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank Dr Tom Reid (Foresterhill Hospital, Aberdeen) for supplying the clinical E. coli O157 case data, and Anne Thomson (University of Aberdeen) for carrying out E. coli microbiological counts from cattle and sheep faeces. The work was funded through the Economic and Social Science Research Council programme on Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) and comments on the manuscript from the E. coli O157 RELU team are acknowledged.

Keywords

beefburgers
E. coli O157
epidemiology
food poisoning
risk assessment
waterborne infection

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1017/S0950268811001646Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Combining risk assessment and epidemiological risk factors to elucidate the sources of human E-coli O157 infection",

abstract = "E. coil O157 can be transmitted to humans by three primary (foodborne, environmental, waterborne) and one secondary (person-to-person transmission) pathways. A regression model and quantitative microbiological risk assessments (QMRAs) were applied to determine the relative importance of the primary transmission pathways in NE Scotland. Both approaches indicated that waterborne infection was the least important but it was unclear whether food or the environment was the main source of infection. The QMRAs over-predicted the number of cases by a factor of 30 and this could be because all E. coil O157 strains may not be equally infective and/or the level of infectivity in the dose response model was too high. The efficacy of potential risk mitigation strategies to reduce human exposure to E. coli O157 using QM RAs was simulated. Risk mitigation strategies focusing on food and environment are likely to have the biggest impact on infection figures.",

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note = "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank Dr Tom Reid (Foresterhill Hospital, Aberdeen) for supplying the clinical E. coli O157 case data, and Anne Thomson (University of Aberdeen) for carrying out E. coli microbiological counts from cattle and sheep faeces. The work was funded through the Economic and Social Science Research Council programme on Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) and comments on the manuscript from the E. coli O157 RELU team are acknowledged. ",

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AU - Hunter, C. J.

AU - Teunis, P. F. M.

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Combining risk assessment and epidemiological risk factors to elucidate the sources of human E-coli O157 infection

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Reducing E.Coli risk in rural communities

Cite this

Combining risk assessment and epidemiological risk factors to elucidate the sources of human E-coli O157 infection

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Datasets

Reducing E.Coli risk in rural communities

Cite this