A groundbreaking vaccine against E. coli O157:H7

Background Past press releases For more information

Background

It began as an idea. Even though E. coli O157:H7 does not cause illness in cattle, why not vaccinate cattle to make food and water safer for humans? In the U.S. alone, E. coli O157 contamination causes approximately 70,000 illnesses a year. The O157:H7 strain caused the 2000 outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario which killed several people and made hundreds ill.

A research collaboration among VIDO, the University of British Columbia, the Alberta Research Council and Bioniche Life Sciences, Inc. led to the development of the vaccine.

The vaccine, available in Canada in the summer of 2007, is being commercialized by Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (Belleville, Ont.) and will improve the safety of food and water by controlling the spread of this toxic strain. In February 2008, the vaccine was approved for a conditional licence by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The vaccine has been recognized internationally as the best new veterinary product for livestock as part of the Animal Pharm Industry Excellence Awards '07. The best new veterinary product for livestock award recognizes excellence in pharmaceutical or vaccine development for production animals.

Many funders supported the work, including the Alberta Livestock Industry Development Fund, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Beef Industry Development Fund and the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network of Centres of Excellence.

Our research in this area continues. The scientists leading the work, Andrew Potter (VIDO Director) and Wolfgang Koester, are Bioniche/NSERC Industrial Research Chairs. See our progress at Food safety vaccines and the livestock environment.

Past press releases

• Jan. 10, 2007: Canadian Research Collaboration Produces World's First Food Safety Vaccine: Against E. coli O157:H7
• Jan. 9, 2007: Groundbreaking vaccine co-developed by U of S VIDO approved to protect water and food supply from E.coli O157:H7 contamination
• Dec. 22, 2006: Bioniche E. coli O157:H7 Cattle Vaccine Authorized for Field Use in Canada
• Oct. 15, 2007: VIDO Awarded $4 M for Industrial Research Chairs in Food Safety
• Dec. 15, 2003: Canadian researchers develop E.coli vaccine for cattle: Vaccine could significantly reduce human disease and associated E. coli outbreaks
• April 3, 2001: Promising cattle vaccine could reduce E. coli O157:H7 threat

For more information

For more information on the E. coli O157:H7 vaccine, see this Q&A hosted by Bioniche Life Sciences, Inc.
Recent press releases from Bioniche are available here.