Epidemiology of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in the Province of Alberta, Canada, from 2018 to 2021

Non-O157 serogroups contribute significantly to the burden of disease caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and have been underrecognized by traditional detection algorithms. We described the epidemiology of non-O157 STEC in Alberta, Canada for the period of 2018 to 2021. All non-O157 STEC isolated from clinical samples were submitted for serotyping and qPCR targeting the stx(1) and stx(2) genes. A total of 729 isolates were identified. Increased detection occurred over the summer months, peaking in July. Patients 18 years and younger made up 42.4% of cases, with 31.1% in those 0-9 years of age. There was a slight female predominance (399/729, 54.7%) A total of 50 different serogroups were detected; the most common were O26 (30.3%), O103 (15.9%), O111 (12.8%), O121 (11.0%), O118 (3.3%) and O71 (2.9%). These six serogroups made up 76.2% of all isolates. In total, 567 (77.8%) were positive for stx(1), 114 (15.6%) were positive for stx(2) and 48 (6.6%) were positive for both stx(1) and stx(2). A wide variety of non-O157 serogroups have been detected in Alberta, with the most frequent serogroups differing from other locations. These results highlight the need for further characterization of their virulence factors and clinical impact.

Automated summary

Non-O157 serogroups of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) play a significant role in disease burden, but are often overlooked by traditional detection methods. This study investigated the epidemiology of non-O157 STEC in Alberta, Canada from 2018 to 2021. The results showed increased detection during the summer months, with the most common serogroups being O26, O103, O111, O121, O118, and O71. Further characterization of their virulence factors and clinical impact is necessary.