Why is this research important for Alberta ag?
Food safety and one health are the key challenges faced by the Canadian beef industry, especially in the transmission of zoonotic infectious diseases from farm animals, the farm environment, or food to humans. In the last two decades, numerous large outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157) have led to tens of millions of dollars in losses in the beef industry.
Cattle are the main reservoir for STEC O157, and the transmission of this pathogen occurs through fecal shedding into the environment which then contaminates vegetable crops, hides, and meat during processing. Several preharvest interventions have been tested, including vaccines and feed additives, but none of the methods can effectively control fecal shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle.
Different from previous approaches, this project aims to develop a novel direct fed microbe-based approach to regulate host-microbial interactions for better gut health, lower stress response and eliminate or lower STEC colonization in the gut of the cattle.
What benefits can producers expect from this research?
The information obtained and technologies developed by this project will provide industrial applicable solutions to enhance cattle health and reduce the prevalence of this pathogen in the food chain. The overall knowledge generated from this project will help industry to develop and implement cost-effective technologies to improve food safety along the beef supply chain that will benefit agricultural stakeholders and other Canadian stakeholders.
How will these research findings reach producers on-farm?
Training materials will be developed that include short videos, courses, and webinars for producers. Outcomes will also be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international scientific conferences. Researchers also plan to develop the education programme "Young Breeding Professional", focussing on the hands-on training of skills required in technology adoption.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.