Vaccine impacts E. coli O157 in feedlot cattle (2007)

Abstract

Many human foodborne illnesses are caused by pathogens commonly harbored by food animals. Escherichia coli O157 is one of these pathogens commonly isolated from beef cattle feces and can enter the food chain at harvest. In addition to the human health concerns, this pathogen has important economic implications. Costly recalls of beef products and loss of consumer confidence associated with outbreaks of foodborne illness can affect profitability on many levels of production. In the past 10 years, E. coli O157 has cost the beef industry an estimated $2.67 billion. A portion of this expense is allocated to government and industry research. Methods to intervene and reduce the opportunity of these pathogens to enter the food chain have been tested and implemented both preand postharvest. The focus of this experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel vaccine technology to reduce E. coli O157 shedding in feeder cattle prior to harvest.