Characterisation of E. coli O157 isolates from bovine hide and beef trimming in Irish abattoirs by pulsed field gel electrophoresis

On a number of sampling occasions, isolates displaying identical PFGE patterns were recovered from multiple isolates collected from a single sample type (i.e. hides or trimmings), suggesting cross contamination from contaminated hides/animals to uncontaminated hides/animals and from contaminated beef trimmings to uncontaminated beef trimmings during abattoir operations.