News Archive

Award funds research into potentially harmful micro-organisms – University of Reading

Dr Paul Lawson, of the University of Reading's Food Microbial Sciences Unit (FMSU) located within the School of Food Biosciences, has been awarded $25,000 (£14,600) from the US Department of Agriculture to examine the microbiology of pig manure storage pits and identify micro-organisms which produce potentially harmful chemicals. Once identified, the micro-organisms could be controlled, which would reduce emissions and help improve the health of both humans and animals in the pork industry. Dr Lawson, who is a member of FMSU's Molecular Systematic Group within the School of Food Biosciences, said: ’Intensive modern livestock farming practices have led to waste being concentrated and stored in increasingly smaller locations, such as deep pits. ’Odour emanating from such locations has increased the tension among rural neighbours and communities as the storage of pig manure is associated with the production of a variety of odorous chemicals. ’Production of such compounds within confined facilities used to house pigs can pose potential health problems to both the animals and human workers alike. ’Although production of these chemicals is the result of microbiological activity, little is known about the types of micro-organisms responsible for their production.’ By using the technique of 16S rDNA gene sequencing, Dr Lawson hopes to identify these organisms, and elucidate the phylogenetic structure of the microbial flora. ’Once identified, the selective inhibition of targeted microbial populations within stored manure could greatly impact and benefit the pork industry by potentially reducing emissions from these storage areas,’ added Dr Lawson. The American funding was awarded after Dr Lawson was invited to speak in Chicago earlier this year at the Conference on Gastrointestinal Function (formerly Rumen Function Conference) by Terry Whitehead and Mike Cotta of the National Centre for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, USA. At the conference, a formal collaboration between Reading and Peoria was proposed and resulted in the grant from the US government. End Notes for editors -Whitehead, T.R., Cotta, M.A., Collins, M.D. and Lawson, P.A. (2003). Description of Hespellia stercorisuis gen. nov. sp. nov., and Hespellia porcina sp. nov., isolated from swine manure storage pits. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, published online 1 August 2003. http://ijs.sgmjournals.org -To arrange to speak with Dr Lawson, please contact Craig Hillsley, Press Officer, University of Reading. Tel: 0118 378 8005 E-mail: c.hillsley@reading.ac.uk