KSU Study: Naturally Raised Beef Might Be at Same Risk for E. coli O157:H7 as Conventionally Raised Beef

According to Feedstuff, an online newspaper for the agribusiness, a recent Kansas State University study was undertaken to see if there was a relationship between the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 and how cattle were raised; it came up with results that might be surprising to some. There research determined that there was no significant difference in the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in beef raised “conventionally” (raised on hormones and antibiotics) versus beef raised “naturally” (free of hormones and antibiotics).

Cow feces is a reservoir of bacterial pathogens like E. coli O157. Of course, it really doesn’t matter how the cow was raised; no one would want organically raised beef cattle feces to get into food anymore than they would want conventionally raised cattle feces to infect the food supply. This finding is important in establishing the need for stringent safety guidelines regarding organic and natural raised beef.

But, while these findings are important, I would like to see more research geared toward answering the questions:

Are these microbes becoming more virulent a foodborne pathogen when beef is raised under conventional methods?

• When addressing how cattle are raised, there may not be a difference in pathogen prevalence; however, there could be a difference in the bacteria’s ability to make it to a human’ digestive tract and take hold. Feeding cattle on grain diets that cause high acidity in the cow’s stomach might foster an acid resistant E. coli O157:H7 that can pass through a human stomach and establish in the intestines.

Are the methods of preventative antibiotic regimens creating “super” bacteria?

• There may be the same number of bacteria in each cow but how will those bacteria respond when they get into a human victim’s blood stream. Drug resistant microbes can turn a simple food poisoning into a life threatening complication like septicemia or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in an instant. The way cattle are raised could be a difference in how a foodborne illness responds to antibiotics in humans.

Is this prevalence the same for Salmonella as it is for E. coli O157:H7?

• While the study addresses the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle, beef conventionally raised might not have equal prevalence of enteric microbes like drug resistant Salmonella. Salmonella is a real food threat. It can lead to potentially fatal food poisoning complications and Salmonella seems to be thriving in the current food system. 

I am always pleased when I see more research devoted to the foodborne illnesses that continually plague our food. Science and research are the oft overlooked and forgotten pieces of the food safety paradigm but science and research are an absolutely integral part of the food safety system as a whole.