E. coli round-upFDA considers testing regime for E. coli vaccines

Could an E. coli vaccine be around the corner? And if so, exactly which species should receive it? With frustration mounting over the inability of food producers to control E. coli risks at a reasonable price, some researchers are saying that the best way to fight outbreaks is to innoculate against the bug somewhere in the food chain, either cows or infants. “If we can reduce the likelihood that animals are going to carry the bacteria, then we might reduce over time what they put out into the environment,” said veterinary epidemiologist Guy Loneragan. Last month, an advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration met to discuss how to run clinical trials of such drugs.

One of the company’s hoping to make a mint on the idea is Ontario, Canada-based Bioniche Life Sciences, whose E. coli vaccine for cattle was recently approved by Canadian regulators for distribution to veterinarians. The treatment has been found to reduce but not eliminate the amount of E.coli excreted onto the ground, where it can then seep into waterways and end up on leafy vegetable supplies. Of course, the fact that Bioniche has found regulatory approval does not mean it will be popular. After all, ranchers have little incentive to foot the bill. “The cattle industry is within pennies of making a profit or not,” said professor Carolyn Hovde Bohach of the University of Idaho who is working on a different E. coli vaccine for cattle. “Would it be their responsibility to protect vegetables?”