E. coli Animal Vaccine Being Tested

HOLYOKE, Colo.— Thousands of calves are being injected with a new vaccine as part of a large-scale test to see if animal vaccines are an answer to E. coli-tainted beef.

The test has been a long time coming. Bureaucratic delays in Washington stalled the arrival of the vaccines for years, and now, even if the vaccines prove successful in the tests, they face an uncertain future as farmers and feedlot owners worry about who will pick up the extra cost.

Scientists are fairly sure that such vaccines will not wipe out E. coli O157:H7 on their own. But if they prove effective, they could significantly reduce the amount of harmful bacteria that cattle carry into slaughterhouses, which means that safeguards already in place there would have a greater chance of eliminating the remaining germs from the beef supply.

While studies have shown varying degrees of effectiveness, many researchers believe E. coli vaccines can reduce the number of animals carrying the bacteria by 65 to 75 percent. That may be enough to prevent the surge of E. coli that typically occurs each summer, when the germ thrives and reports of illness increase. The vaccines may also reduce the number of so-called supershedders, cattle that carry unusually high levels of E. coli, with the potential to overwhelm slaughterhouse safeguards.

Read the full story at The New York Times.