From green onions and bagged spinach to peanut butter and lettuce used at fast food restaurants, bacterial diseases continue to show up on our plates. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year there were nearly 33 million cases of microbial food-borne diseases recorded in the U.S. alone and more than 9,000 related deaths, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The E. coli strain 0157:H7 is estimated to cost the U.S. economy millions of dollars each year, while Salmonella is projected at $3 billion.
But while recent microbial food-borne diseases such as Salmonella and E. coli are causing a scare among humans, the pathogens are no strangers to our livestock. Despite remarkable strides in not only research and biology but control practices and awareness, these diseases still linger on the farm, causing serious economic losses to many dairy producers. Decreased efficiency in reproduction, reductions in growth and productivity, and even animal death can be the results of these bacterial hazards in our livestock.
Management on the Dairy
What can producers do to help control this problem from continually creeping into their herds and causing a pandemic scare in the grocery stores and fast food chains? The quick answer is: Stop the cycle! There are some general control measures producers can follow.
Complete composting and deep stacking of manure. This may reduce bacterial numbers.
Minimize the recycling of water from lagoons to cattle housing areas.
Clean water troughs regularly and protect them from manure contamination.
Reduce chances of feed contamination from rodents and birds.
Avoid hauling dead animals or manure in front end loaders used for feeds.
Restrict entry to the dairy to prevent introduction of new pathogens.
Utilize dairy herd health programs set by the veterinarian.
Keep healthy cows out of hospital pen.
Insure proper silage preparation.
Attention to cleanliness of holding areas, milking facilities, and feeding areas.
There are other measures just for calves:
Cool colostrum immediately.
Pasteurization of colostrum.
Either discard waste milk or use pasteurization.
Use good hygiene with milk handling equipment.
Utilize old technologies such as brush cleaning and thermometers.
Disinfect nipples, bottles, and buckets.
Alternative Treatments
Another area of prevention that continues to be researched is probiotics, or beneficial bacteria. Because antibiotic resistance arises in bacteria at an alarming rate, much research has focused on finding alternative treatments that do not involve the use of antibiotics.
Alternative non-antimicrobial products such as direct-fed microbials and/or mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) have been implicated as possible intervention strategies. Multiple field trials have demonstrated reductions in Salmonella and E. coli in dairy animals supplemented with MOS.
A former colleague of mine, Dr. Simon Timmermans of Iowa, has used antibiotic alternatives in his herd health programs for several years. Timmermans explained the use of MOS as a “fake” food source the pathogens prefer instead of sugars lining the gut wall. Once attached to the MOS, they literally starve and die. Direct-fed microbials and mannan oligosaccharides can help to maintain healthy immune systems in dairy and can work in conjunction with vaccine programs.
Pathogens and the Future
Research continues today on how we can eliminate these pathogens from our tables and even our troughs. Often the burden of preventing contamination falls on the shoulders of the livestock producer. Measures such as proper hygiene, constant awareness, quarantining of new animals, and certified testing remain important and should continue to be used on the farm to help in preventing bacterial diseases.