E. coli Research: Cattle Fed Distiller's Grain
According to a Kansas State University (KSU) press release, KSU researchers have found that cattle fed distiller's grain, a byproduct of the ethanol distilling process, have an increased prevalence of E. coli 0157 in their hindgut. According to the KSU press release, this could mean that cattle fed distiller’s grain pose a risk to humans:
The growth in ethanol plants means more cattle are likely to be fed distiller's grain, therefore harboring 0157 and potentially a source of health risks to humans, Nagaraja [T.G. Nagaraja, a professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine] said. That's why he and Jim Drouillard, K-State professor of animal sciences, have been collaborating on testing distiller's grain-fed cattle for 0157. Nagaraja and Drouillard, who studied the carcass quality of cattle fed distiller's grain, are joined by Megan Jacob, a K-State doctoral student in pathobiology. Through three rounds of testing, Nagaraja said the prevalence of 0157 was about twice as high in cattle fed distiller's grain compared with those cattle that were on a diet lacking the ethanol byproduct.
Given the rise in beef recalls due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7, it would be interesting to know if the meat from cattle fed distiller's grain was involved in any of the recent recalls, particularly those connected with an outbreak of E. coli infections.
The problem is not so much with "what" cattle are fed, but with the "cleanliness" of the slaughter house and food processing plant. These bacteria are in the intestines of these animals (in other words, in the bull shit!) If bull shit gets on to the meat, then so do the bacteria. The solution is not to feed the cattle differently, but to CLEAN UP the places where the food is processed!