GeneThera Sheds Light on the E.Coli Vaccine
US - GeneThera, Inc. have today released information about its E.Coli O157:H7 vaccine.
18 November 2008
2 minute read
The vaccine consists of Live Attenuated Bacterial Vaccine to Reduce or Inhibit Carriage and Shedding of Enterohemorrihagic Escherichia Coli in Cattle. This vaccine was developed for use against Shiga toxin-producing E.Coli (STEC) in cattle.
* "There were 21 beef recalls in the United States in 2007, compared with eight the year before." |
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Dr. Tony Milici MD, PhD, GeneThera's Chairman and CEO
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According to GeneThera, this strategy is to construct mutants that have deletion in the genes responsible for E.Coli O157:H7 toxicity. Along with the mutation to inactivate the Shiga toxin gene, the modified bacteria also carry a mutation that inactivates genes that allows the growth of the E.Coli 0157:H7 in the cow intestine. These modifications will greatly attenuate bacterial virulence.
According to Dr. Tony Milici MD, PhD, GeneThera's Chairman and CEO, "Initial experimental animal trials in both challenged rabbits and mice showed a reduction of 99% E.Coli shedding in vaccinated animals when compared with control animals." GeneThera is aggressively pursuing a distribution partner to assist in bringing this vaccine/therapy technology to market.
Their efforts are bolstered by the recent report from the Washington Post dated November 10, which stated "...There were 21 beef recalls in the United States in 2007, compared with eight the year before. About a third of the recalls were prompted by reports of human illness, while none of the 2006 recalls were. This year, meat inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have continued to see more contaminated beef samples. Through mid-October, they had recorded 50 percent more than at the same time last year."
Officials have assumed that these numbers reflect an overall increase in the prevalence of the E.Coli strain in cattle, but no one has been able to explain why the dangerous bacteria have become more abundant, say GeneThera.
"Given the recent emergence of a similar product from a competitor, we feel that now is the time to begin a full court press to bring our vaccine to the forefront of the agricultural and food industries. We believe very strongly that our vaccine is a far superior product to that of our competition."
TheCattleSite News Desk
