where beef cows are fed mostly a grain diet. (Feed Lot
animals) There is a big chance that E-coli could be a problem in the
manure. If these farmers according to the Public Radio would feed hay
for 2-3 weeks prior to butchering, the e-coli would be absorbed into the
hay
All manure is loaded with E. coli. Most E.
coli are harmless as they are destroyed in the acid environment in our stomach
when ingested. They are tested for (reported as "coliform count") on
food and well water etc.as a marker because if there is fecal contamination
then they are routinely present and are easier to test for than the shigella,
salmonella, etc.that are the bigger concern. The undigested starches
from a high grain cattle diet produce a more acid environment throughout the
intestinal tract. The 0157:H7 strain of E.coli proliferates in and
becomes more acid resistant in this environment. At least one of the
populations of this strain then does cause disease in humans. A few
days of hay was supposed to decrease the number of those E. coli. But if
it only takes ten to make you sick does it really matter whether a teaspoon of
manure contains a quadrillion or only a billion? More significantly the
few days of hay was supposed to allow the multiple generations (split as often
as every twenty minutes) occurring in that time to allow the E. coli to revert
back to an acid sensitive condition, and thereby lose their disease producing
potential for humans. I haven't noticed information that this is
dependably accomplished. In the present feedlot situation it is not
economically practical.
Chuck
Henkel