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E. coli Vaccine Given Conditional License

By PritzkerLaw

The United States Department of Agriculture has given its first approval to a vaccine to reduce E. coli O157:H7 in cattle.

The product is made by Willmar, Minnesota,-based Epitopix LLC, a spin-off of Willmar Poultry Co. Other companies have been working on E. coli O157:H7 vaccines for cattle herds, but Epitopix is the first to win a conditional license from the USDA.

A conditional license means a company can market the product but that the USDA still requires additional safety and efficacy tests.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli O157:H7 infects about 70,000 Americans each year. The bacteria live in intestines of cattle without making them ill. It is shed through manure and can contaminate meat during the slaughtering process.

Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety, told the Star Tribune that trials by Epitopix produced impressive results: Reducing the number of cattle testing positive for E. coli O157:H7 by 85 percent.

For consumers, the vaccine breakthrough shouldn't present a false sense of security. The vaccine is voluntary and many ranchers and farmers certainly will avoid the product because of the extra cost -- especially because cattle routinely live with E. coli with no ill effects.

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen Attorneys, which represents clients in nearly every major E. coli  O157:H7 outbreak in the U.S., said consumers should continue to take their own precautions to protect themselves from infection. Click here for a breakdown on preventative measures.

Epitopix General Manager Jim Sandstrom said he is hopeful the company will have the vaccine in mass quantities by summer, the peak season for cattle slaughter. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on March 12, 2009 (boomark / email).