Food safety officials believe the U.S. beef industry may be on the cusp of an important change that may reduce E. coli O157:H7 in the meat supply, but not wipe it out.
A recent New York Times story by reporter William Neuman says two vaccines for cattle — one made in Minnesota and the other in Canada — could be making their way to market after long bureaucratic delays in the government approval process.
The Minnesota vaccine, made by Epitopix, has preliminary Agriculture Department approval and will be used in the coming months in extensive trials to see how effective it is at making cattle immune to the organism. Scientists believe it could reduce the bacteria by 65 percent to 75 percent, which might be enough to prevent the typical surge of outbreaks in the summer — a time when the germ is best suited for colonization.
E. coli O157:H7 lives in the intestines of cattle without harming them. During the slaughter process, the microbes can land on meat cuts and survive inside the center of a hamburger if not cooked to 160 degrees. Once ingested by a human, the pathogen emits large quantities of a potent toxin that severely damage the lining of the intestine.
In 5 percent to 15 percent of cases, a victim of infection develops a complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can be life threatening and has long-term negative health consequences for its victims.
The Times story said development of E. coli O157:H7 vaccines would be further along by now, but there was an 18-month delay in the approval process while the Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department clashed over whose job it was to handle the approvals.
The need has become more urgent as the number of ground beef E. coli recalls has grown to 52 since January 2007. In the preceding three years, there were 20 ground beef recalls.
Even if the two vaccines gain full approval (the Canadian vaccine has yet to receive preliminary approval), any chance of an impact depends on whether enough ranchers and farmers embrace the technology — which could cost $10 per animal, or more. The story quoted one rancher as saying the current profit margin on a single animal is only $25 to $35.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys will be monitoring the vaccines as they progress. We currently represent E. coli HUS victims and we are one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Contact our firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) for a free case consultation. You may also complete our online contact and information form on the side of this page.
