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<article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" article-type="letter"><?properties open_access?><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Emerg Infect Dis</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="iso-abbrev">Emerging Infect. Dis</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">EID</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>Emerging Infectious Diseases</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="ppub">1080-6040</issn><issn pub-type="epub">1080-6059</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="pmc">5708250</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">17-1210</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3201/eid2312.171210</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Letters to the Editor</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Letter</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="TOC-title"><subject>Wildlife as Source of Human <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> O157 Infection</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Wildlife as Source of Human <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> O157 Infection</article-title><alt-title alt-title-type="running-head">Wildlife as Source of Human <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> O157 Infection</alt-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes"><name><surname>Crook</surname><given-names>Brian</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Senior</surname><given-names>Helena</given-names></name></contrib><aff id="aff1">Health and Safety Laboratory, Health and Safety Executive, Buxton, United Kingdom</aff></contrib-group><author-notes><corresp id="cor1">Address for correspondence: Brian Crook, Health and Safety Laboratory&#x02013;Microbiology Team, Harpur Hill, Buxton SK17 9JN, UK; email: <email xlink:href="brian.crook@hsl.gsi.gov.uk">brian.crook@hsl.gsi.gov.uk</email></corresp></author-notes><pub-date pub-type="ppub"><month>12</month><year>2017</year></pub-date><volume>23</volume><issue>12</issue><fpage>2122</fpage><lpage>2122</lpage><kwd-group kwd-group-type="author"><title>Keywords: </title><kwd><italic>Escherichia coli</italic></kwd><kwd>environmental</kwd><kwd>infection risk</kwd><kwd>wildlife</kwd><kwd>zoonoses</kwd><kwd>England</kwd><kwd>rabbits</kwd><kwd>bacteria</kwd><kwd>Shiga toxin</kwd><kwd>STEC</kwd><kwd>Shiga toxin&#x02013;producing <italic>Escherichia coli</italic></kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><p><bold>To the Editor:</bold> The article by Probert et al. (<xref rid="R1" ref-type="bibr"><italic>1</italic></xref>) highlighted that wild animals (in this case, deer) can act as a reservoir of Shiga toxin&#x02013;producing <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> (STEC) O157 infection. Our previous research (<xref rid="R2" ref-type="bibr"><italic>2</italic></xref>) broadens this to include wild animals as STEC O157 carriers. In our study, an outbreak of STEC O157 infection in eastern England was epidemiologically linked to visiting a wildlife park. Unlike in petting zoos, the visitors had no direct contact with the animals. Transmission of infection was attributed to contact with the feces of wild rabbits (<italic>Oryctolagus cuniculus</italic>) in a play area; the rabbits had been in contact with STEC O157&#x02013;positive cattle in an adjacent field (<xref rid="R3" ref-type="bibr"><italic>3</italic></xref>). To prove this hypothesis, we identified rabbit populations living on farms with STEC O157&#x02013;positive cattle. We trapped the rabbits humanely in cages, collected their feces during their confinement before release, and tested the feces for STEC O157 by culture and PCR. Of 97 samples collected in the summer, 8 (8.2%) were positive by culture; these samples came from 4 of 6 farms in the study. By PCR analysis, 20 of 97 (20.6%) samples were positive. None was positive during the winter, when cattle were housed indoors, suggesting a link between STEC O157 positivity in cattle and rabbits. In conclusion, when outbreaks of this serious human infection are linked to the rural environment, it is necessary to take wildlife into consideration, both as a reservoir of transmission and as carriers. Equally, persons should not underestimate the necessity of good hand hygiene if they have contact with wild animal feces.</p></body><back><fn-group><fn fn-type="citation"><p><italic>Suggested citation for this article</italic>: Crook B, Senior H. 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