USDA grant aids swine health research

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture has granted $650,000 to Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Lubbock. The grant will support new research aimed at improving pig health and strengthening long‑term sustainability in the US swine industry, according to the university.¹

The study focuses on Streptococcus suis, a common bacterium of the pig respiratory tract that is widespread in swine herds. Considered an important pathogen in the porcine industry, S suis causes septicemia, meningitis, endocarditis, pneumonia, and arthritis. Some infected pigs become seriously ill, and sudden death can occur.^1,2

The pathogen is also a zoonotic agent, and findings from the funded study may be beneficial to occupational health and One Health in general. Infections that are less common in humans, such as septicemia (with or without septic shock) and meningitis, can be caused by S suis.^1,2

The S suis research project at Texas Tech is led by Tara N. Gaire, PhD, BVSc, MS, who is an assistant professor of veterinary epidemiology and One Health at the university. “This work is important because it moves beyond asking whether S suis is present and instead asks why disease develops in some pigs but not others,” Gaire said in a news release.¹ “By identifying the biological and management factors linked to disease risk, we hope to generate knowledge that supports more effective control strategies on farms.”

Investigators from the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Ames and the University of Minnesota System, as well as commercial swine producers, are collaborating with Texas Tech on the project. The collective research team will follow pigs from birth through post weaning on 2 commercial farms, collecting more than 4000 samples to study how the pigs’ microbiome interacts with different strains of S suis.¹

By combining farm management data with advanced molecular sequencing and pathogen genomics from nasopharyngeal samples, the researchers aim to identify conditions that make pigs more likely to become sick. That knowledge could lead to better diagnostics and more targeted prevention strategies.¹

“This research shifts the focus from reacting to disease after outbreaks occur to understanding risk earlier in an animal’s life,” Thu Annelise Nguyen, PhD, MBA, DABT, associate dean for research and professor of toxicology at Texas Tech, said in the release.¹ “The outcomes have the potential to reduce antibiotic use, improve on‑farm decision-making, and train future scientists to work at the intersection of animal health and agriculture.”

Managing S suis remains challenging because there are no widely effective commercial vaccines, and pathogenic strains often cocirculate with commensal strains, according to the university. Antibiotics are frequently used, but increasing antimicrobial resistance is making prevention‑focused research more important.¹

References

1. Brooks W. Texas Tech vet school seeks to improve swine health through USDA grant. Texas Tech University. May 12, 2026. Accessed May 21, 2026. https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/school-of-veterinary-medicine-stories/posts/2026/05/texas-tech-vet-school-seeks-to-improve-swine-health-through-usda-grant.php
2. Goyette-Desjardins G, Auger JP, Xu J, Segura M, Gottschalk M. Streptococcus suis, an important pig pathogen and emerging zoonotic agent-an update on the worldwide distribution based on serotyping and sequence typing. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2014;3(6):e45. doi:10.1038/emi.2014.45