University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors Samodha Fernando, Daniel Ciobanu, Hiep Vu and post-doctoral research associate Lianna Walker will be leading projects to combat important viral diseases, antimicrobial resistance, farm sustainability and potential impact on human health through four research grants totaling $2.48 million from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).
The grant awards were part of a $400-million Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) by USDA-NIFA targeting work to improve rural economies, increase food production, stimulate the bioeconomy, mitigate impacts of climate variability, address water availability issues, ensure food safety and security, enhance human nutrition and train the next generation of the agricultural workforce, UNL said in a release.
Here’s a look at what they will be studying:
- Fernando’s project ($999,981) will examine the ecology of antibiotic resistance gene pools within the swine production system and its effect on the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.
“This could lead to the development of management and nutritional strategies that reduce antimicrobial use,” the release said.
This project is a collaboration with the United States Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) and the USDA-ARS National Animal Disease Center. The Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) include Amy Schmidt, Phillip Miller and Tom Burkey from UNL; James Wells, William Oliver and Lea Rempel from USMARC and Christopher Anderson from USDA-ARS National Animal Disease Center.
- Ciobanu’s research ($635,000) is focused on detecting relationships between host genetics, microbial pathogens, animal growth and health.
“The results of this study could lead to the development of genetic tests and management solutions to improve animal health and welfare by predicting which pigs will be genetically susceptible to specific microbial diseases,” the release noted.
The Co-PIs of this project are Fernando, Steve Kachman (Statistics), and Dustin Loy, a veterinary diagnostic microbiologist with the Nebraska School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (SVMBS).
- Vu’s ($627,000) focuses specifically on the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) and identifying what cellular factors are required to produce an infection.
“Knowledge gained from this research could lead to a safe and effective vaccine to combat the disease and will provide insights for the generation of PRRSV-resistant pigs, either through natural selection or genome editing,” the release said.
This research is conducted in collaboration with Sarah Sillman, a veterinary pathologist with SVMBS.
- Walker’s study ($225,000) will look into host genetic variants that promote infection of Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) in swine.
“Identifying gene variants that influence AIV susceptibility in pigs could lead to increased disease resiliency by providing swine producers with potential genetic-based prevention strategies and an alternative to suboptimal vaccination regimes, improving the overall welfare of their herds. This research could also lead to a decrease in the ability of AIV to adapt to mammalian hosts, which would reduce the emergence of novel pathogenic strains that could impact human health,” the release noted.
This collaborative research initiative led by faculty members within the Department of Animal Science holds the promise of enhancing animal health and productivity.
