Researchers Explore Safe African Swine Fever Vaccine Solutions

Aug 21, 2023

A new grant at Kansas State University will explore ways to help protect global food supplies through the development of vaccines to protect swine from infectious diseases. Juergen Richt, regents distinguished professor and university distinguished professor in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, is leading the project focused on African swine fever virus, a lethal disease in both wild and domestic pigs.

The grant is funded for a three-year period by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, or AFRI.

According to Richt, all attempts to develop safe vaccines capable of protecting against the infection and the disease have been largely unsuccessful.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.