The Role of Beef in the American Diet - International Meat Secretariat

The Role of Beef in the American Diet
E. coli O157:H7 is a strain of E. coli that can cause serious illness
in people. It was first recognized in 1982 and is now considered one of
the most important foodborne disease-causing microorganisms.
Infection with this organism can cause severe bloody diarrhea. In 2–7%
of all cases, the disease also leads to a complication called hemolytic
uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure (54). This complication
occurs most often in young children or elderly people. About 3–5%
of all cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome are fatal, and about one-third
of survivors develop long-term kidney problems (54). E. coli O157:H7
has been estimated to be responsible for roughly 73,000 illnesses, 2,100
hospitalizations, and 61 deaths in the U.S. each year (55).
Healthy cattle (and some other types of domestic and wild animals)
sometimes carry E. coli O157:H7 in their intestinal tracts; the bacterium
does not make the animals ill and therefore cannot be detected by ordinary
inspection procedures at the slaughterhouse, which are designed to
identify signs of disease in the carcasses. If an animal carries the bacterium,
the meat may become contaminated during or after slaughter.
The meat can still be eaten safely, provided that it is cooked thoroughly.
Cooking meat to at least 160°F kills E. coli. However, if the meat is
undercooked, or if bacteria from the meat are allowed to contaminate
other foods, people can get sick.
Besides beef, other foods that have been associated with illness
caused by E. coli O157:H7 include raw (unpasteurized) milk, unpasteurized
apple juice and cider, alfalfa sprouts, and dry-cured sausage
(54,56). The microorganisms can also be transmitted by contaminated
water, including swimming pool water, and by person-to-person contact.
Table 6 lists precautions that people should take to protect themselves
and their families against this organism.
E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most difficult foodborne microorganisms
to deal with, for several reasons. As mentioned earlier, the disease
can be very severe, and ordinary visual inspection of food can’t detect
contamination. In addition, it takes only a few bacteria to cause disease,
and this makes it difficult for contamination to be detected even by
sophisticated microbiological testing methods. The fact that this
microorganism has only been recognized as a cause of disease for 20
years adds to the problem. Scientists are playing catch-up on this one;
they simply don’t have as broad a base of knowledge of this organism
as they do with long-recognized foodborne microorganisms such as
Salmonella.
Despite the difficulties, though, much is being done to reduce the
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