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Escherichia coli O157:H7 – Discerning Facts from Fiction: An Integrated Research and Extension Project for Multiple Audiences
Author(s) -
Moore D. A.,
Smith D. R.,
Sischo W. M.,
Heaton K.,
Besser T. E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/zph.12206
Subject(s) - misinformation , the internet , government (linguistics) , public relations , control (management) , political science , world wide web , management , computer science , law , linguistics , philosophy , economics
Summary The O 157: H 7 ( Ec O157) epidemiology of S higa‐toxin‐producing E scherichia coli ( STEC ) in cattle is complex, and myths about pre‐harvest control are perpetuated. The objectives of this project were to identify perpetuated misinformation and inform four audiences about evidence‐based risks and pre‐harvest control of E c O 157 by addressing: (i) E c O 157 epidemiology and pre‐harvest control; (ii) how food safety policy is created; and (iii) how to present accurate information about E c O 157. An environmental scan using a daily Internet search helped identify themes for education. A literature review of pre‐harvest control measures contributed to the development of educational materials (fact sheets, website, web presentations and conferences). Conference 1 was a webinar with 315 registrants, 10 countries including 41 US states and four C anadian provinces. Most participants felt confident in using their new knowledge, more than half felt confident enough to answer E c O 157 questions from the public and many would recommend the recorded version of the webinar to colleagues. Conference 2 was live in the W ashington, DC, area with most participants employed by the US government. All agreed that they better understood pre‐harvest control, how food safety policy was made, and were confident they could create an effective message about STEC pre‐harvest control. Videos were posted and received 348 I nternet visitors within 2 months. Conference 3 was a webinar with a live audience and Twitter feeds, targeting people who give nutrition advice. Almost all ranked the programme good to excellent and relevant to their work. About 25% indicated that they would share: ‘grass‐fed beef is not safer than grain‐fed’, 25% would share information on effectiveness of cattle vaccines, and 14% would share information on message mapping. Across all conferences, major changes in knowledge included the following: there is no additional risk of E c O157 shedding from grain‐fed versus grass‐fed cattle, pre‐harvest vaccination is efficacious, and production systems (pasture versus confinement) do not affect E c O157 shedding rates.