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¹ Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA;
² United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Meat Animal Research Center, PO Box 166, Clay Center, Nebraska 68933, USA;
³ Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Deer Study Leader, 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808, USA
⁶ Corresponding author (email: Jdunn1{at}cdc.gov)

ABSTRACT:   Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EC O157) is an important zoonosis. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been implicated in transmission of this bacterium to humans and have been suggested as reservoirs that might affect carriage in cattle populations. Our study objectives were to estimate prevalence of EC O157 in feces of hunter-harvested deer and to describe fecal shedding patterns in a captive herd sampled over 1 yr. Prevalence of EC O157 in hunter-harvested deer was 0.3% (n=338). In August 2001, EC O157 was detected in one of 55 deer (1.8%) from the captive herd. Prevalence over the 1-yr period was 0.4% (n=226). Escherichia coli O157:H7 was rarely isolated from hunter-harvested deer during the winter. We could not describe a seasonal shedding pattern based on one positive sample in the captive herd. These data do not support a prominent role of deer as a reservoir for EC O157 for cattle or humans.
  Key words:  Escherichia coli O157:H7, fecal shedding, foodborne disease, Odocoileus virginianus, prevalence, seasonal, white-tailed deer.

⁴ Current address: University of Montreal, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec J2S 7C6, Canada

⁵ Current address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, 1600 Clifton Rd., NE MS D-63, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA

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