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Background: The supplementation of preterm infants with folic acid is routine practice in many neonatal units. However, the advent of preterm formula milks and breast milk fortifiers have increased folic acid intake. We measured red cell folate in preterm infants who received preterm formula milks and breast milk fortifiers to determine whether additional folic acid supplementation was still required. A potential benefit of folic acid supplementation is reduction of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy). tHcy appears to have a linear association with the risk of atherothrombotic vascular events in adults but its role in intraventricular haemorrhage and associated white matter damage in preterm infants is not known. As there is little information regarding tHcy in preterm infants, we also measured tHcy in this study. Methods: Red cell folate and tHcy were measured at 1 and 4 weeks of age and before discharge in 28 consecutive infants <34 weeks’ gestation. Factors which may have affected folate and homocysteine status were recorded. Results:Red cell folate ranged between 266 and 1,513 ng/ml and deficiency (<140 ng/ml) was not observed in any sample. Red cell folate concentration tended to increase with increasing age. tHcy ranged from 0.8 to 12.2 µmol/l and fell within the ‘normal’ range for fasting adults. Conclusions: Preterm formula milks and breast milk fortifiers provide sufficient folic acid to prevent folate deficiency in preterm infants. Although tHcy fell within the ‘normal’ range for fasting adults, more research is needed to determine optimal concentration of tHcy for preterm infants.

The objective of this study was to investigate coliform counts in feedlot cattle water and feed rations and their associations with management, climate, fecal material, and water Escherichia coli O157 using a cross-sectional study design. Coliform counts were performed on feed samples from 671 pens on 70 feedlots and on water samples from 702 pens on 72 feedlots in four U.S. states collected between May and August 2001. Management and climate factors were obtained by survey and observation. Month of sampling (higher in May and June), presence of corn silage in the ration (negative association), temperature of the feed 1 in. (ca. 2.5 cm) below the surface at the time of sampling (negative association), and wind velocity at the time of sampling (positive association) were significantly associated with log 10 coliform levels in feed. Month of sampling (lower in May versus June July and August), water pH (negative association), and water total solids (positive association) were significantly associated with log 10 water coliform levels. Coliform counts in feed and water were not associated with prevalence of E. coli O157 in cattle feces or water. Management risk factors must be interpreted with caution but the results reported here do not support the use of coliform counts as a marker for E. coli O157 contamination of feed or water.Coliform bacteria, including Escherichia spp., Klebsiella spp., and Enterobacter spp., are considered to be an indicator of fecal contamination in feed and water. As such they may be an indicator of contamination of feed and water with fecally transmitted food-borne disease agents such as E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. The epidemiology and ecology of Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157 suggest fecal contamination of feed or water may be a possible source of exposure to cattle on farm (5, 6, 29). On-farm control efforts have received considerable attention and disease modeling suggests that decreased shedding in feces could decrease beef contamination with E. coli O157 (14). If feed and water are a significant source of exposure for cattle to potential food-borne pathogens, on-farm control efforts to decrease fecal prevalence will need to account for feed and water contamination through a feed and water safety and security program.Salmonellae have been commonly found in feed, but until recently Escherichia coli O157 had only been found rarely in cattle feed (5,9,11,12,25). E. coli O157 has been shown experimentally to survive and even replicate in moistened feed at room temperature, and replication of generic fecal E. coli has also been demonstrated in livestock feeds (17). Escherichia coli O157 have recently been detected in significant numbers of feed samples in a study to assess the effects of culture techniques on isolation of E. coli O157 from feed (6). E. coli O157 has been commonly found in water sources, including tanks and ponds, and free-flowing streams (7,11,16,21). In an experimental water microcosm model, E. coli O157 survived for at least 245 days (15).We hypothesized that if ...