Auburn, March 1---Can cattle producers reduce levels of a potentially fatal food pathogen by feeding their cattle the bovine equivalent of functional yogurt?

Indeed they can, says one expert.

Lacing cattle feed with probiotics – foods designed to enhance the growth of helpful bacteria in the stomach – can reduce the risks associated with Ecoli O157:H7, a pathogen most commonly associated with the consumption of red meat, says Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food scientist.

"Consuming these probiotics creates what is known as competitive exclusion in the cow’s intestine," she says.

By competitive exclusion, Weese means the probiotics work to stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the intestine, while crowding out bad bacteria, such as Ecoli .

As she describes it, "The good guys move in, and the bad guys move out."

Among humans, this approach is nothing new. Many doctors, in fact, routinely encourage people to consume the human equivalent of these foods -- sweet acidophilus milk and yogurt, for example -- in order to offset with problems often associated with antibiotic use.

That’s because antibiotics, in addition to taking out viruses, eliminate many of the good bacteria associated with digestion and elimination. Indigestion and irregularity often follow.

People can cope with these problems by consuming acidophilus milk and other bacteria-enhancing products, which create conditions in the stomach and intestinal tract under which good bacteria thrive.

Granted, feeding cattle probiotics will not eliminate Ecoli entirely. Even so, every step toward eliminating Ecoli numbers reduces the chances of human exposure to the pathogen. .

"Whatever we can do to reduce the levels of Ecoli at every step of the food production chain is a plus," she says. "If we can reduce bacteria levels in the animals before they reach the slaughter plant, that helps. If we can wash the carcass after slaughter, that helps too."

All of these steps are important, Weese says, because they reduce the likelihood of bacteria surviving until the beef product reaches the consumer.

While research into probiotic feeds is still ongoing, researchers believe the new approach shows great promise.

One researcher, Dr. Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety, claims his studies have shown feeding cattle probiotics may reduce Ecoli levels by as much as 80 to 90 percent in some cases.

Source:  Jean Weese, Extension food scientist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 334-844-3269.