U.S. Ag Dept. gives $5.5M to study E. coli

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Agriculture Department announced it will award nearly $5.5 million to support collaborative research into E. coli contamination.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said the funding will help produce producers identify the sources of E. coli O157:H7 and ways to avoid contamination.

Agricultural Research Service scientist Rob Mandrell and colleagues at the University of California will use the money to continue research in the Central Valley of California.

During the next three years ARS will contribute $5 million and the Agriculture Department's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service will contribute $470,999 to the project.

Mandrell will attempt to determine where E. coli O157:H7 contamination originates, how it survives on plants and what factors lead to an increase in produce-related outbreaks. Potential risk factors include animals, land practices, packing and processing processes and wildlife.

Outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 illness associated with fresh lettuce or spinach have previously been associated with pre-harvest contamination.