E Coli :: Canadian E coli vaccine for cattle gets preliminary nod

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently gave preliminary approval for field use of the world’s first vaccine to reduce Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle and thereby help keep it out of food.

Bioniche Life Sciences, Belleville, Ont., reported in a Dec 22 news release that it received CFIA approval to distribute its E coli vaccine to Canadian veterinarians. The approval, called a permit to release veterinary biologics, is similar to a conditional license in the United States.

To receive full licensure, the company must provide additional data confirming reductions in E coli O157 shedding in vaccinated animals, the company said. “Bioniche believes that this vaccine will be an important factor in helping to reduce the prevalence of this toxic bacterium, first implicated in meat contamination and now being increasingly identified as a contaminant of produce,” said Graeme McRae, president and chief executive office of Bioniche, in the press release.

The Bioniche E. coli O157:H7 vaccine, developed through a partnership with the University of British Columbia, the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan and the Alberta Research Council.


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