The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit organization established through bipartisan congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill, awarded $149,000 to scientists at University of Wyoming (UW) to develop a faster, more accurate diagnostic test for detection of swine brucellosis, a costly disease affecting swine and cattle. Researchers at Texas A&M University will collaborate with UW scientists to collect samples from infected animals. The universities are matching the Foundation’s grant for a $299,000 total investment.
An estimated 6 million feral swine live in 38 of 50 states in the U.S. For states dealing with this invasive species, it is important to mitigate diseases spread to livestock, such as B. suis. This project will develop a novel quantitative real-time test for B. suis in swine and cattle.
The first phase of research will acquire samples from 300 feral swine in Texas. Samples will be analyzed to validate the new testing procedures developed for this project.
Brant Schumaker, DVM, Ph.D., an associate professor in veterinary sciences at University of Wyoming, will lead the team of collaborators.
"The fact that swine brucellosis cross-reacts on diagnostic tests for cattle brucellosis leads to severe regulatory consequences for domestic animal producers whose animals are in contact with feral swine," said Dr. Schumaker. "We are excited that our experience developing new diagnostic tools to control bovine brucellosis in the greater Yellowstone area has allowed us to help address the emerging threat from feral swine."
Co-principal investigators on this project include:
- Noah Hull, doctoral student at University of Wyoming
- Walt Cook, DVM, Ph.D., clinical associate professor at Texas A&M University
The research team assembled the Consortium for Animal Disease Diagnostic Innovation (CADDI) to support and assist the project. The diverse consortium consists of 29 members, including representatives from Wyoming Livestock Board, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories.
The grant is issued through the Foundation’s Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) program, an initiative designed to prevent and mitigate damage from emerging pests and pathogens through short-term research funding. Applicants are encouraged to form broad-based coalitions to increase research collaboration and maximize the mitigation potential of each grant.