A vaccine for cattle to reduce the amount of E. coli passed in manure has received full approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Designed as a food safety vaccine, it will be manufactured and marketed by Bioniche Life Sciences under the trade name Econiche. Vaccine supplies will be limited during the early manufacturing period, said a news release from Bioniche Oct. 27.
It was developed by the company based in Belleville, Ont., in partnership with the University of British Columbia and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan.
Read Also
Feeder market adds New World screwworm risk premium
Feedlots contemplate the probability of Canadian border closing to U.S. feeder cattle if parasite found in United States
Approval is also being sought for licensing in the United States.
The vaccine prevents E. coli from colonizing in the animal’s gut so it does not get passed into the manure where it can contaminate water sources or beef carcasses at the processing level.
The vaccine will be administered to cattle in three doses at cow-calf operations, feedlots or dairies. It has a 60 day withdrawal period. It will also be available for animals at zoos and petting zoos.
Human exposure to E. coli O157:H7 can result in serious health consequences, including abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. In severe cases, kidney damage or death can occur.
There are an estimated 100,000 cases of human infection from E. coli in North America each year.
