A microbiologist at Washington State University has received a $1 million grant from USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to study if previous research into stopping the bacteria at its source – cattle – may be more effective once different strains of the disease are considered.
A press release from the university in Pullman, Washington, said Tom Besser, professor of veterinary microbiology has three years to delve into the subject. He says there has been promising work over the past 15 to 20 years by scientists interested in reducing the rate at which cattle get infected with E. coli O157:H7.
Besser says vaccines, beneficial bacteria or “probiotics,” and certain feeds have had some good results, but not all of the research took different E. coli strains into account. He wants to identify the seasonal variations and processes that kill clinical genotypes of E. coli O157:H7 — the types most dangerous to humans. Bovine-biased genotypes cause only a small percentage of illnesses.
A vaccine, for example, could cut incidence ofE. coli O157:H7 in half. “That could be really good if the half that it’s cutting it by is mostly clinical genotypes,” said Besser.
In humans, E. coli O157:H7 releases a powerful toxin that attacks the lining of the intestine, causing severe abdominal cramps followed by watery, then bloody diarrhea that subsides within a week or so. Sometimes the diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting and a low-grade fever.
In more than 5 percent of cases, the Shiga toxins enter the bloodstream, causing HUS E. coli, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure, anemia, internal bleeding, and the destruction of vital organs. About 5 percent of children who develop E. coli HUS are killed by it. Those who survive are often left with permanent disabilities, including brain damage or paralysis.
