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December 9, 2007
Study finds ethanol from distillers grain causes E coli 0157 in cattle
Cooking raw meat kills E coli present in the meat, but the presence of E coli in the first place seems to have increased. Researchers at Kansas State reportedly have found that cattle fed distiller's grain (from ethanol production) have more E coli in the hindgut. (Disclaimer: I have no idea what the hindgut is, and the article I'm about to link to does not say whether those cattle have more, less, or the same levels in their other guts.)
K-State Researchers Examine Connection Between E. coli & Ethanol
Feeding cattle byproduct of ethanol production causes E. coli 0157 to spike
MANHATTAN, KAN. -- Ethanol plants and livestock producers have created a symbiotic relationship. Cattle producers feed their livestock distiller's grains, a byproduct of the ethanol distilling process, giving ethanol producers have an added source of income.
But recent research at Kansas State has found that cattle fed distiller's grain have an increased prevalence of E. coli 0157 in their hindgut. This particular type of E. coli is present in healthy cattle but poses a health risk to humans, who can acquire it through undercooked meat, raw dairy products and produce contaminated with cattle manure.
"Distiller's grain is a good animal feed. That's why ethanol plants are often built next to feedlots," said T.G. Nagaraja, a professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine.
December 9, 2007 in Farming, food safety | Permalink
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There's a good amount of ongoing attention to and dispute about the differences between "feedlot" and pasture grazing diets in cattle. Much of this attention is focused on the differing levels of E.Coli that may result, and in particular, the virulent 0157 strain. It is suspected, but heavily disputed, that grain-intensive (and apparently in this case, grain byproduct-intensive) diets increase the levels of E.Coli in cattle. To complicate matters more, differing diets have differing effects on acidity, and that then too differs based on the part of the cow's gut the bacteria is in. The 0157 strain's acid-resistance and preferred gut locale are likely different than other strains as well, adding yet anothe set of variables to all this.
Balanced summary at: http://www.biotunes.org/bioblog/2007/05/truth-about-e-coli-and-cattle-feed.html
Posted by: reader1 | Dec 11, 2007 12:27:33 PM
