Dave Smith, an NU veterinary scientist, collects a sample from the feed bunk at the Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead. IANR scientists are sampling feed and water at feedlots across Nebraska to better understand E. coli 0157:H7, the bacterial culprit in last year's Hudson Beef recall.
By MONICA NORBY, IANR news writer
A year after the nation's largest-ever ground beef recall shocked Nebraska and the nation, the University of Nebraska has intensified research to combat E. coli 0157:H7, the deadly bacteria that spawned the recall.
In August 1997, Hudson Foods recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef after an E. coli outbreak was traced to meat processed at its Columbus, Neb., plant. The massive recall rocked the beef industry and put food safety in the government and consumer spotlight.
In the past year, the University of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources has collaborated with the state government and the beef industry to tackle the problem head-on. In April the Nebraska Legislature passed LB1206, which provides the university $250,000 annually for five years for basic E. coli research.
The university is concentrating on preharvest research, aiming to significantly reduce the chance of E. coli 0157:H7 reaching the processing plant. A new multi-disciplinary, statewide research team initiated eight new research projects to study E. coli on farms, ranches and feedlots.
"We believe this is the most effective strategy for Nebraska," NU Food Microbiologist Bob Hutkins said of the preharvest emphasis.
There's been a strong collaborative effort in Nebraska to address the problem, said Darrell Nelson, dean of IANR's Agricultural Research Division. "The university has the scientific expertise to tackle this issue and we've long worked with producers and industry. Those partnerships helped Nebraska respond quickly and puts us in good position to be leaders in E. coli research."
Steve Taylor, head of the university's food science and technology department, agreed. Taylor led university efforts to organize the Governor's Conference on Meat Safety last February in response to E. coli 0157:H7 concerns.
"The university was aware of the food safety threat before the Hudson recall and we were already working on it, but that stimulated our research and extension scientists to redouble their efforts," Taylor said. "Our efforts are more coordinated than ever before. We can make so much more progress working together."
Some NU scientists have studied E. coli 0157:H7 since 1986. LB1206-funded research builds on this earlier work.
Veterinary Scientist Dave Smith and seven other IANR researchers statewide are focusing on feedlots.
"The outcomes we're looking for are management strategies that we can suggest to feedlot managers that will reduce the presence of E. coli in the feedlot," Smith said. "If we can do this, we'll have even fewer cattle walking into packing plants carrying the bacteria."
They're working on efficient tests to determine whether 0157:H7 exists in groups of cattle.
"Having 0157:H7 turn up in an animal is a very rare event, so if you have to sample all the animals in a feedlot the cost is prohibitive," he said. "We want to develop an efficient way to sample a group of cattle rather than testing individuals."
Researchers will use tests they develop to identify groups of cattle with E. coli 0157:H7, determine environmental factors that encourage 0157:H7 in feedlots and identify management practices that discourage the bacteria.
That's just the kind of research beef producers need, said Greg Ruehle, executive vice president of the Nebraska Cattlemen.
"Part of the reason the (Nebraska) Cattlemen were so involved in getting LB1206 passed is because beef producers were frustrated with the lack of readily available E. coli management alternatives," Ruehle said. "We're aware that there are no silver bullets, but we're hoping this feedlot level research will eventually help decrease the prevalence of E. coli on the farm, ranch and feedlot."
Understanding E. coli 0157:H7's genetics, physiology and biochemistry, and how it survives in cattle are other targets of preharvest research for scientists in food science and technology, animal science, veterinary science, the Beadle Center and the School of Biological Sciences.
Hutkins and Mark Morrison, microbiologist in animal science, are studying how the bacteria grows and survives in the rumen, the large first compartment of cattle's complicated digestive systems. They hope to determine whether colonization can be prevented, possibly by manipulating diet and dietary supplements.
Veterinary Scientist Rod Moxley has studied E. coli for more than 10 years. He's now focusing on the role of intimin, a protein produced by 0157:H7, in colonization of adult cattle's intestinal tracts. Intimin is being proposed for use in a possible E. coli vaccine, but it has been studied only in calves.
"Ground beef comes from adult animals, so it's important to know intimin's role in older animals," Moxley said.
Moxley also works with Food Scientist Mindy Brashears to isolate and screen lactic acid bacteria that can inhibit the growth of E. coli 0157:H7. The lactic acid bacteria is harmless to mammals. If it survives in cattle intestines, it could be added to cattle feed to prevent E. coli infection.
IANR Food Molecular Biologist Andy Benson wants to learn what allows 0157:H7 to grow in the herd environment and why certain strains persist over time. He uses genetic fingerprinting, a biotechnology technique, to find very small differences in DNA from different E. coli strains. He hopes to identify which genes might contribute to E. coli survival.
LB1206 funds also have served as seed money, attracting other grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska Beef Council.
"UNL has made an aggressive effort and has gone beyond the LB1206 budget to find more funding," said Sallie Atkins, Nebraska Beef Council interim director. The Beef Council has funded two university projects.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association voted to allocate $450,000 nationally for E. coli research at its national meeting in July, Atkins pointed out.
"This should be a loud message that we're joining in attacking the problem," she said.
Ongoing research is key to solving a problem threatening a major Nebraska industry, said Terry Klopfenstein, animal scientist.
"At the end of five years we will know a lot more," he said. "I don't think any of us is naive enough to think we can completely eliminate E. coli, but I'm optimistic that we can find management practices that will reduce the risk."
George Corner, collection manager of vertebrate paleontology at the museum, said Tanner was a constant source of information. "If anyone had a question about the museum, Lloyd was the resource. He knew more about the history of the museum than anyone," he said.
In addition to a great amount of knowledge about the museum, Ron Tanner said his father was excited about his work. "I can remember hunting for fossils with him in western Nebraska. He had a real sense of urgency and energy toward vertebrate paleontology."
The plaza will be dedicated in September. "The plaza will provide an impressive memorial in honor of his gifts to the state of Nebraska," Estes said.
"Lloyd would be very satisfied to know that he was going to be memorialized in this way," said Mary Tanner. "It would mean so much to him to have the plaza named for him."
Faculty and staff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were awarded a record $92.5 million in external grants and contracts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998.
The total, a 14 percent increase over the previous year, includes awards from governmental agencies and the private sector for the full range of activities at the university. Of the total, $48.2 million supports research activities, $27.7 million supports public service and $16.6 million is directed to instruction and student support.
Of funds for research, awards from federal sources rose by 12.9 percent to a record $32.4 million.
"These figures show that our faculty are strong competitors in Washington for federal research dollars," said Priscilla Grew, vice chancellor for research. "We also achieved dramatic growth in funding from industry, which has been another of our highest priorities. Our industry funding rose to a record $7 million, a 55 percent increase over the previous year."
The increase in private sector funding for research stems in part from a growing trend in industry to outsource research and develop costs, said Don Helmuth, associate vice chancellor for research. Helmuth said companies are increasingly courting the university as the marketplace becomes more competitive and hungry for new products and technologies, with agribusiness providing the lion's share of industry funding. However, Helmuth said, the university is successfully expanding to industries outside the agricultural sector.
Chancellor James Moeser said the growth in external funding will strengthen the university's position among peer institutions.
"I am very pleased that the university continues to show steady progress in external funding," Moeser said. "This is a key component of our national ranking as a major research university. We project a very solid upward trajectory."
Among projects funded by the federal government are the International Sorghum/Millet Research program funded by the Agency for International Development ($4.7 million); the Great Plains Regional Center for Global and Environmental Change, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy ($1.4 million); sustainable agriculture research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture ($1.8 million) and the Mid-American Transportation Center ($1 million).
Funded service projects include $4.6 million from the National Science Foundation for the Polar Ice Coring Office. Additional service projects are $1.5 million for the Law Enforcement Training project; $2.9 million for CLASS, a distance education program; and $1.5 million from the Barkley Trust to support activities at the Barkley Memorial Center relating to assessment and treatment of speech and hearing disorders.
By KAREN UNDERWOOD, NU Public relations
U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) will deliver the commencement address at summer commencement exercises at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 15 in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Chancellor James Moeser will preside as some 800 students receive degrees. Menahem Pressler, concert pianist and co-founder of the Beaux Arts Trio, will receive an honorary doctor of music degree during the ceremony.
In 1996, Hagel became the first Republican since 1972 to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Nebraska. Veteran political commentator Robert Novak dubbed him the Senate "rookie-of-the-year" in 1997 and this year, Washingtonian magazine named him a "Freshman All-Star" based on a survey of congressional staff. He is a deputy whip in the Senate Republican leadership, and he chairs the Senate Global Climate Observer Group and the Republican Government Oversight Task Force.
The Senate is Hagel's first elected office. Prior to his election, he was president of McCarthy & Co., a privately owned investment banking firm in Omaha. He was born in North Platte and is a graduate of St. Bonaventure High School in Columbus and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Pressler won first prize in San Francisco's International Debussy Competition in 1946, then embarked on a solo career that has included appearances with renowned orchestras and conductors worldwide. In 1955, he co-founded the Beaux Arts Trio, one of the world's preeminent piano trios.
He made his New York recital debut in Carnegie Hall in 1986. His performances have been described as inspirational, enthusiastic and exuberant. Pressler is a distinguished professor of music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where he has been a member of the faculty for more than 40 years. Although he plays more than 100 concerts a year, he is rarely away from his studio for more than 2 1/2 weeks at a time. While in Bloomington, he packs eight hours of teaching and four hours of recital into his daily schedule.
Pressler began studying music in his native Magdeburg, Germany, where he first studied violin but switched to piano at the age of 6. His family immigrated to Palestine in 1939, where he played his first recitals and concerts.
A drop-off area for graduates and mobility-restricted guests will be on the south side of the Devaney Center. Special seating will be reserved for disabled guests attending commencement. Sign language interpreters for the hearing impaired will be in section B-12 on the west side of the concourse level of the arena. A limited number of seats will be reserved for hearing impaired guests. Reserved seats for guests who are ambulatory restricted will be available in the north and south sides of the arena. Guests in wheelchairs will be seated on the northeast corner of the arena floor. Golf carts will be at the ramps on the exterior north and south sides of the Devaney Center to assist disabled guests entering and exiting the Devaney Center.
The unversity has forwarded a draft report on its inventory of human remains to authorities and an independent consultant investigating the university's compliance with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
The report was submitted Aug. 7 by Peer Moore-Jansen, an independent consultant retained by the university to examine and refine the inventory of human remains in collections of the anthropology department, the University of Nebraska State Museum and other campus units. The document, which was commissioned by the university in May, has been forwarded to the Nebraska State Patrol and a Robert Grimit, a Lincoln attorney retained by the university to investigate compliance with federal and state laws.
In the report, Moore-Jansen, a biological anthropologist at Wichita State University, identified some human remains on campus that might be eligible for inclusion in the university's NAGPRA inventory, compiled in 1995.
"Only a very small segment of the materials inventoried fall in the category of inconclusive archeological or probable Native American Indian affiliation," Moore-Jansen stated in the report.
Priscilla Grew, vice chancellor for research and NAGPRA coordinator, said the Campus NAGPRA Committee will review the findings to determine what remains qualify for inclusion under NAGPRA compliance.
"This information will help us work toward addressing the deeply felt public concerns about the university's handling of human remains. We share those concerns," Grew said. "The information in the Moore-Jansen report will be extremely helpful as we begin filing the necessary addenda to meet all the requirements of the Repatriation Act," said Richard Wood, general counsel for the university. "And the report will be valuable to the ongoing internal and external investigations into this matter." The report concludes the "vast majority of the skeletal material represents . . . biological and anatomical supply teaching specimens and does not warrant further inquiry."
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