U.S. food safety inspectors last year found 43 percent less ground beef tainted with a potentially fatal strain of E. coli bacteria than in 2003, the Agriculture Department said on Monday.

A consumer group praised the 2004 testing results, but said the USDA sharply cut its E. coli testing at grocery stores last year and should increase its checks at retailers.

The 2004 results showed 0.17 percent of samples tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7, down from 0.3 percent in 2003, the USDA said.

The government collected 8,010 samples for testing in 2004 from 2,000 beef plants and retail outlets.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the results showed more U.S. meat companies were complying with federal food safety standards.

“While these numbers are very good, we at FSIS never forget that until E. coli O157:H7 is eliminated it will always pose a threat to public health,” said FSIS Acting Administrator Barbara Masters.

E. coli 0157:H7 causes an estimated 73,000 illnesses and 61 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria, which are destroyed by thorough cooking, can be deadly for young children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.

Last year, the CDC said E. coli illnesses in 2003 fell by 36 percent compared to the previous year.

Consumer advocates said the USDA should test more beef products from retail outlets and state plants.

“The good news is USDA seems to be running more E. coli tests in federal plants and finding fewer positives,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“Unfortunately, they have significantly reduced their testing in retail stores and for state plants and imported beef,” she said.

The USDA tested about 300 beef samples from U.S. grocery stores last year, down from 1,200 in 2002.

FSIS spokesman Steve Cohen said the decline in testing was because inspectors do not test case-ready products, which have become increasingly popular at retail stores. The majority of E. coli contamination is found at federal beef plants, not retail stores, he said.

Since 1994, the USDA has conducted random testing at beef plants and grocery stores to review industry compliance. Between 2000 and 2004, the USDA said the percentage of positive E. coli samples declined by more than 80 percent.

Masters said the USDA’s testing program was not designed to determine the prevalence of E. coli in the United States.