Nine Research Grants Focus on Improving Beef and Swine Antibiotic Use

With the goal of optimizing the use of antibiotics in livestock, the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA) has awarded nine grants to develop management strategies that improve judicious antibiotic use in beef cattle and swine, says a recent release.

Investigating novel and potentially high-impact solutions to promote targeted antibiotic use and advance animal health and welfare, the grant-funded projects speak to the need to accelerate antibiotic stewardship research, says Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) executive director.

The following grants have been awarded, according to the release:

— Dr. Raghavendra Amachawadi of Kansas State University (KSU) received $125,000 to identify specific bacterial species in cattle liver abscesses beyond the primary species, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and determine their prevalence and involvement in abscess formation, especially in the under-studied hindgut segment of the gastrointestinal tract. This research could help identify new interventions to minimize the occurrence of liver abscesses in cattle. Micronutrients Corporation, Cargill Incorporated and Phibro Animal Health Corporation are contributing additional funding for a total $280,000 investment.