USDA Lab Focuses on Deadly E. Coli
US - Cattle wander among earth-covered bunkers that dot the landscape just west of this tiny rural town.Their focus: the E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, which can kill if it reaches the dinner table.
''Our purpose is to save little kids' lives,'' said Mohammad Koohmaraie, director of the center.
The scientists at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center say they still don't know why the number of beef recalls soared in 2007 or why E. coli contamination appeared to be rising.
''What we try to do is increase our understanding as much as possible about the bug,'' Koohmaraie said.
The lab has its own feedlot and a herd of about 6,500 cows that are used for genetic research.
Source: AssociatedPress