EHEC is an important food-borne pathogen, that can cause a fatal infection of humans and especially of children under 5 years of age. Ruminants are the most important reservoir of EHEC, since infection of ruminants does not cause diseases and since ruminants can excrete EHEC via the faeces during months. This project aims to assess the importance of EHEC as a food-borne zoonosis in Iran, to develop a serological screening assay that will allow to monitor the occurrence of EHEC infections within cattle and sheep herds and to test if the natural antimicrobial lactoferrin can be used to decrease or inhibit EHEC excretion by ruminants.