E. coli Prevention Research Focuses on Scottish Farmers
Certain farmers in the Grampain region in the north of Scotland are, to some degree, immune to the deadly bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) reports. Researchers at Bangor University in Wales tested about 200 Scottish farmers from Grampain and North Wales and it was found that about one-fifth of the farmers, or roughly 20 percent, are at least partially immune to E. coli O157:H7. The report was published August 8 on Scotsman.com.
Researcher Dr. Prysor Williams said: “We are taking small samples of blood and saliva and looking for antibodies in the samples. That will tell us if that individual has been exposed to 0157. If antibodies are present it shows that that individual has a degree of immunity because all the volunteers are not patients.”
The story reports that the study’s findings could help in the search for an E. coli vaccine, and that repeated exposure over a long period of time may be protecting these farmers from the otherwise harmful pathogen. The Scotsman story reports that the Grampain region is said to have one of the highest E. coli infection rates in the world, and results of the study suggest a much higher rate of antibodies among that region’s population. According to the story:
Rates of E coli 0157 in Scotland are higher than the rest of the UK. Last year, there were 4.6 cases per 100,000 people in Scotland, compared with fewer than two per 100,000 in England. In Grampian there were 11.1 cases per 100,000…The reasons for the higher rates in Scotland remain unclear.
Tags: Cattle E coli, E. coli Prevention
