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영어

We examined presence of Escherichia coli, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, and Salmonella species in feces of six rodent species (Apodemus agrarius, A. peninsulae, A. sylvaticus, Micromys minutus, Myodes regulus, and Rattus norvegicus) captured from different agricultural regions of South Korea. By culture methods and PCR assay, we detected E. coli in 50% of 56 individuals of the six species and various Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains in 32.7% of them, but no Salmonella species. All of three types of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (O83:H1, O104:H4 and O157:H16) were detected in A. agrarius and A. sylvaticus. E. coli O104:H4, as well as E. coli O157:H7 3.6% (2/56), was associated with a widespread and foodborne disease. Although E. coli O104:H4 has rarely been found in feces of wild rodents until now, in the present study E. coli O104:H4 was detected in feces of the wild rodents in South Korea. Wild mice of A. agrarius, which account for 60.7% of total 56 individuals, are most widely distributed and abundant in various agroecosystems of South Korea. Of 36 individuals of A. agrarius, feces of 12 individuals contained Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, which account for 23.1% of total 56 individuals of the six rodent species and 70.6% of total 17 individuals with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The three types of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (O83:H1, O104:H4, and O157:H7) were detected in A. agrarius. Thus, A. agrarius would be important reservoirs of the pathogenic bacteria which cause zoonotic diseases in different agroecosystem s.