inTeRdiSciPLinARy TeAM coMPeTiTion

Improving food safety by reducing E. coli infections in cattle

Jeffrey T. LeJeune, Food Animal Health Research Program Stephen T. Abedon, Microbiology Brian B. McSpadden Gardener, Plant Pathology

Consumption of food or water contaminated with Escherichia coli O157 bacterium can cause severe illness or even death in humans. About 63,000 cases of E. coli are reported every year in the United States, taxing the public health system by some $634 million dollars. This disease thus costs Ohio about $23 million per year. Foods of bovine origin and the environment in which the cattle are housed can be contaminated when healthy cattle harbor the bacteria and shed it in their feces. Thus, controlling and preventing E. coli infections in cattle can improve the safety of the food supply and reduce environmental contamination. How cattle become infected with the bacteria and what factors allow for the organism to persist or multiply in cattle or on farms is not completely understood. Based on an understanding of other infections in cattle and previous research, the research team proposed that cattle get infected from their environment. Certain materials used for livestock bedding promote E. coli survival, while other materials suppress or limit its survival. Identifying the specific factors that control the survival of E. coli in different environments can help determine which bedding materials are best to limit the amount of E. coli to which the cattle are exposed, thereby reducing their infection rate and the likelihood of food supply and environmental contamination. The research team inoculated E. coli into cattle bedding material collected from dairy farms. When some of the samples were heated prior to inoculation, the bedding materials no longer suppressed the bacterium. Thus, the team hypothesized that the factors that suppress E. coli

in bedding are microbial. Using molecular fingerprinting methods, the researchers determined which bacterial populations best suppressed the E. coli. Future research will isolate the specific bacteria that inhibit E. coli growth in the bedding samples. Once these organisms are isolated, it may be possible to add them to livestock feeds or to the farm environment to help lower E. coli levels. If successful, these steps can help to improve food and environmental safety.
Jeffrey T. LeJeune

Controlling and preventing E. coli infections in cattle can improve the safety of the food supply and reduce environmental contamination.

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SEEDS: The OARDC Research Enhancement Competitive Grants Program