11/9/2010
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Division (READ) recently received a grant to study the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef in West Virginia.
The one-year, $220,000 grant was provided through the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), a joint venture of federal health, food and agricultural agencies, in cooperation with state and local laboratories throughout the country.
WVDA microbiologist Amie Minor, who wrote the grant application, said most of the money will be used to purchase new instruments and related training for personnel performing the tests.
“This program is unique to West Virginia, although the results can be applied to other states as well,” said Minor. “This study will give us an idea of the background level and prevalence of this particular pathogen.”
E. coli O157:H7 is a particularly nasty form of bacteria that can cause symptoms ranging from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to kidney failure and death in a small number of cases.
“This particular strain can produce Shiga toxin…that is not as easy to ‘cook out’ as other pathogens. It can definitely be a very pathogenic bacteria that needs to be taken seriously,” said Minor.
The mission of FERN is to integrate the nation’s food testing laboratories at the local, state and federal levels into a network that is capable of responding to emergencies involving biological, chemical, or radiological contamination of food, whether accidental or intentional.
FERN is a joint effort among the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal agencies dedicated to public health and security.
During an emergency, FERN-member laboratories can be called upon to handle the surge of laboratory work needed to identify and contain a foodborne pathogen. WVDA has been a FERN member since 2005.
Contact Information
Gus R. Douglass
(304) 558-3200