Botulism toxin now found in enterococcus in cows in USA

Scientists have found a botulism-type toxin in enterococcus in the fecal content of cows in the USA. Good news: The animals were exhibiting no symptoms. Better news - the bacteria could be treated with antibiotics.

Then the scientists took the enterococcus back to the lab and tinkered with it until they had a version that would produce symptoms similar to botulism toxicity in mice. Now they are testing it on human neurons in the lab.

The scientists took a treatable bacteria with no symptoms and tinkered with it until it became a dangerous bacteria. IMO - It is just a matter of time before one of these man made bugs escapes the lab.

www.eurekalert.org...

a reply to: Buvvy

Coming to supermarket shelves soon after Britain caves in to 'free trade' deals with the US after Brexit.
...along with chlorine washed chickens, GM food, and additives which are currently banned.

From the story. We will be/are doomed because of the profit/cheap product motive. This needs to have regulations to avoid a catastrophic outbreak that will not be able to be stopped.

"In intensive agriculture, antibiotics are administered to farm animals to promote weight gain in often crowded facilities. We believe that this creates an environment in the animal gut that allows antibiotic-resistant enterococci to thrive and come into contact with humans," he explains. "We know that the highly antibiotic-resistant E. faecium strain we fight in the hospital is very closely related to strains found in the GI tracts of farm-raised animals."

a reply to: Buvvy



I always though botulism was a bacteria in improperly canned food that hadn't reached 240 degrees causing this bacteria to grow. Learn something new everyday, and it usually is scary.


..

a reply to: Buvvy

When you have a friend that plays with such things at Ft. Meade, you know things you'd rather not.

Heck maybe botox prices will go down! - heavy sarcasm...

This is actually pretty scary stuff.

Article excerpt:
“This is the first time a botulinum neurotoxin has been found outside of Clostridium botulinum -- and not just the toxin, but an entire unit containing the toxin and associated proteins that prevent the toxin from being degraded in the GI tract," says Min Dong, PhD, a scientist in Boston Children's Hospital's Department of Urology and Harvard Medical School and one of the world's experts on botulinum toxins.”

The toxin, dubbed BoNT/En, is the ninth botulinum toxin to be described. (Last August, Dong and colleagues reported the eighth, BoNT/X, made by C. botulinum and the first new botulinum toxin to be found in close to 50 years.”

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

I hope we don't get their milk.

"American dairy farmers inject rBGH to dairy cows to increase milk production. European nations and Canada have banned rBGH to protect citizens from IGF-1 hazards. Monsanto Co., the manufacturer of rBGH, has influenced U. S. product safety laws permitting the sale of unlabeled rBGH milk."

www.lifehack.org...

You are correct that the C. Butulinum organism grows in improperly stored foods, where it produces toxin. Botulism is caused by ingesting toxin, not by infection with C. botulinum.

The C. Botulinum toxin causes muscles to lock up resulting in cardiac or respiratory failure. No telling what this new Enterococcus version of the toxin will do.

Wonder what temp is required to destroy the Enterococcus version? If one cow had this odds are it is present elsewhere (scientist just weren’t looking for it before). Maybe I should start ordering my all steaks well done? Or skip steaks? Also skip sausage or anything produced in an cow intestine casing. Sad times.

a reply to: seasonal

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy
a reply to: Buvvy

Coming to supermarket shelves soon after Britain caves in to 'free trade' deals with the US after Brexit.
...along with chlorine washed chickens, GM food, and additives which are currently banned.

As opposed to your system?
www.theguardian.com...
www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...
www.thejournal.ie...
www.theguardian.com...

Mad cow disease originated in the UK, so thanks for that!

Chlorine washed food goes on in more than the US.
Willing to bet some of your additives are banned here, so calling that a wash.
No one ever should be eating GMO anything.

There is no high ground in what countries are victimized by, or what lengths companies will go to, to sell spoiled crap.
It's universally epidemic.

a reply to: Caver78

Who's going on about high ground?
I just don't want crap food currently banned for sale in the UK being sold after a post Brexit trade deal.
Why would I?

Even our mc'd's fries are healthier than those in the US, UK 3 ingredients potatoes, salt and cooking oil...US 19 ingredients/additives check mc'd's website they unashamedly declare it themselves.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

We could build a wall?.


Oddly enough though I found an isle in Tescos well a few shelves with American sweets and crisps I bought a hersheys and it was like that cheap nasty chocolate you get at Easter for 10p a egg.

a reply to: testingtesting

Here in my neck of the woods in michigan they have stopped using rBGH many moons ago. not because of the health effects to humans, it was bad for the cows.

We need strict regulations on food/farms. It will add to the cost but keep us from the obvious things that are coming, it's a matter of time.

a reply to: seasonal

We do need lots more around my parts we have had a Halal slaughter house get done for beating up sheep so for that reason I will not eat halal meat it even says "Un stunned" on the labels.
But in one way I feel bad because we should be grateful we get a full belly everyday 795 million don't get that.
Are we being too picky? I dunno.

a reply to: testingtesting

We are not being too picky.

For a very small amount of money (pennies) there could be some real improvements to the crap shoot that we are now in.
My opinion we are on a path that guarantees problems with antibiotic resistance and environmental damage. We need regs to put these HUGE corp farms back into balance.

a reply to: Buvvy

I agree it is scary!
One lab security breach and who knows, but I bet there are way more scary cultures/organisms in labs that we don't even know about.

Botox in every bite.

I guess frying the steak in coconut oil is needed. or just taking a monolaurin tablet once a day will work too. Butter and milk contain monolaurin and lauric acid too. www.ppt-health.com...

Now that is a sales site, here is a scientific site. jfoodprotection.org... I guess you aren't going to get the protection from cooking with vegetable oils.

Actually, lots of things taste better when cooked with refined coconut oil. I wonder why they taste better, could it be because our bodies know it is a good thing?

originally posted by: CornishCeltGuy
a reply to: Buvvy

Coming to supermarket shelves soon after Britain caves in to 'free trade' deals with the US after Brexit.
...along with chlorine washed chickens, GM food, and additives which are currently banned.

hahaha tragically funny and true!

And as Brexit will kill the NHS (due to lack of funding as they are already planning to sell it to US insurance companies), people won't even be able to afford a doctor when they get ill eating cheap imported ultra processed food.

a reply to: Agartha

Tragically true x

a reply to: Buvvy

No. botulism does not cause your muscles to lock up. It actually does the opposite. It prevents your muscles from contracting. They can't do anything and lie slack.

You are thinking about tetanus which does the opposite -- creates neverending spasm in your muscles.

the bug was unexpectedly found to carry a toxin resembling the toxin that causes botulism.

From the article

Resemble

have qualities or features, especially those of appearance, in common with (someone or something); look or seem like.

Defs by Google

It was found only once from a single animal, and no signs of botulism disease were observed

Again from the article

Vegan Doom Porn

Was it an actual cow or was it Roseann O'Donnell?
a reply to: Buvvy