{"id":4,"date":"2012-11-06T21:42:44","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T21:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2012\/?p=4"},"modified":"2012-12-11T22:16:55","modified_gmt":"2012-12-11T22:16:55","slug":"reducing-health-risks-from-e-coli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.unl.edu\/annualreport\/2012\/reducing-health-risks-from-e-coli\/","title":{"rendered":"

Reducing Health Risks from<\/h2>

E. coli<\/em><\/h1>"},"content":{"rendered":"

As bacterial villains go, E. coli<\/em> O157:H7 is among the best known. It\u2019s the culprit in numerous and sometimes fatal foodborne illness outbreaks. But it\u2019s far from the only bad guy.<\/p>\n

O157 is just one of about 100 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli<\/em>, or STEC, strains that sicken people and cause 265,000 illnesses annually in the U.S. UNL leads a major project targeting the eight most dangerous E. coli<\/em> strains throughout the beef production chain. Funded by a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, this project involves 11 universities and other institutions.<\/p>\n

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Harshavardhan Thippareddi (center) and Rod Moxley<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe long-term goal is to reduce the occurrence and public health risks from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli<\/em> in beef, while preserving an economically viable and sustainable beef industry,\u201d said UNL veterinary scientist Rod Moxley, who leads the project. \u201cThis can only be accomplished by a multi-institutional effort that brings together complementary teams of the nation\u2019s experts, whose expertise spans the entire beef chain continuum.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will look at these existing interventions and determine their efficacy against other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli<\/em>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Moxley and UNL food scientist Harshavardhan Thippareddi are on a team focusing on better detecting these dangerous strains. Both are veterans in the fight against O157, and this project builds on years of research at UNL and nationwide that produced interventions to reduce the incidence of O157.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will look at these existing interventions and determine their efficacy against other\u00a0Shiga toxin-producing E. coli<\/em> and also to develop other interventions as needed,\u201d Thippareddi said.<\/p>\n

E. coli<\/em> testing methods need to be improved because the organism spreads inconsistently in animals.<\/p>\n

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E. coli<\/em> O157:H7 in petri dish (left); sample tubes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A key goal is developing a portable detection method that could be used in packing plants, Moxley said. Tests need to spot the eight STECs in areas such as cattle feces, meat, water, soil, feed, carcasses and hides.<\/p>\n

Project partners will play important roles, Moxley said. For example, Kansas State University, a major contributor, has a state-of-the-art biosecurity research facility where scientists can infect animals and study them.<\/p>\n

New vaccines for cattle also are a potential outcome.<\/p>\n

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