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<OL> <LI> Correlate immunologic and/or neuroendocrine assays for transportation induced stress in swine with shedding of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, in particular Salmonella spp. <LI> Define normal and stress altered microbial populations in the intestinal tract of swine to identify mechanisms associated with stress induced shedding of zoonotic microbial pathogens.
Form a team of scientists with expertise in immunology, neuroendocrinology, animal well being, and microbiology to develop and validate in vitro assays of transportation induced stress in swine. Using those assays as indicators of stress, experimentally induce stress in swine and monitor shifts in populations of bacteria in the swine intestine. Traditional methods for bacteriologic isolation and identification, combined with nucleic acid-based assays for zoonotic pathogens, will be used to identify temporal onset of shifts in bacterial populations in the swine intestine. Develop and test methods for reduction of stress in swine during transportation and determine the effect of those methods on shedding of bacterial zoonotic pathogens in swine feces, in particular the shedding of Salmonella spp. This research will be conducted in collaboration with the ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit at West Lafayette, Indiana. NADC, Ames, IA, EDFSR Lab; Bldg. 2: BL-2; IBC pending.