Detection of Escherichia coli O104 in the feces of feedlot cattle by a multiplex PCR assay designed to target major genetic traits of the virulent hybrid strain responsible for the 2011 German outbreak

Abstract

A multiplex PCR was designed to detect E. coli O104:H4, a hybrid pathotype of Shiga toxigenic and enteroaggregative E. coli, in cattle feces. A total of 248 fecal samples were tested and 20.6% were positive for the O104 serogroup. The isolates of O104 did not carry genes characteristic of the virulent hybrid strain.