High-priority diseases in cattle and swine will be tackled by three researchers in the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine with grants totaling nearly $1 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Two of the projects will study foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), with the other focused on African Swine Fever (ASF).
Two of the projects focus on foot-and-mouth disease, which affects livestock production in many regions of the world, including much of Asia and Africa. With the disease being highly transmittable, it would severely impair livestock health and production if introduced to the U.S. Therefore, one of the goals of this research is to model outbreak and control scenarios in the U.S. to improve preparedness and identify optimal disease response strategies to mitigate the impacts of a potential FMD outbreak. Additionally, researchers hope to support the development of FMD vaccine candidates and help generate new knowledge on next-generation vaccines that will ultimately help to prevent and control FMD.
The third research project is centered on the development of control strategies against ASF, which has become a major issue in China and other Asian countries. The focus of this research will be on further improving testing and vaccination for the disease.