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Abstract

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Description

Verotoxin-producing E. coli play a role in human disease causing symptoms that range in severity from uncomplicated diarrhoea to life threatening conditions involving kidney failure, which is the case for infection wit E. coli O157:H7 also known as burger bacterium. The main reservoir of human pathogenic E. coli is cattle faeces, which may cause contamination of milk and carcass with these pathogenic bacteria. Results from experiments with dairy cows do indicate that rations with high grain and molasses content increase the faecal shedding of acid resistant E. coli bacteria, whereas rations with relatively high roughage content reduce the shedding of these bacteria. The purpose of the present project is to find a feeding strategy aiming at a reduction of verotoxin-producing E. coli prior to slaughter in order to reduce the risk of human infection.

Financing