The isolation of Escherichia coli from a poultry packing station and an abattoir

The distribution and serotype of strains of Escherichia coli from a poultry packing station and an abattoir are described. The results indicated that animal faecal strains contaminated the environment and the animal carcasses. Using 150 O antisera, a high proportion of the E. coli strains were non-typable. This suggests that the serotype distribution of E. coli in animals is different from that in man. Strains with single antigenic differences were isolated, and the possibility of genetic transfer of these antigenic structures is suggested.