Project for Research Experiences for Undergraduates

2012 Summer Program, June 11 - August 3, 2012

National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Title: Modeling Salmonella transmission in swine

Mentors: Dr. Cristina Lanzas (Veterinary Medicine), Dr. Maud Lélu (Ecology), Dr. Suzanne Lenhart (Mathematics), and Dr. Tuoc Phan (Mathematics)

Salmonellosis is one of the most common bacterial food-borne illnesses. Farm animals, including cattle, pigs, and chickens are reservoirs for Salmonella. In recent years, the proportion of Salmonella resistant to several antimicrobial drugs (multi-drug resistant strains) has increased. Humans infected with multidrug re sistant strains are at greater risk of hospitalization and death compared to patients infected with susceptible strains. Prevention of human salmonellosis depends on decreasing the prevalence of infections in farm animal hosts as well as identifying and intervening along key transmission routes. This REU project will focus on developing mathematical models of Salmonella transmission in swine farms to better understand the factors that favor the transmission and the persistence of these multidrug resistant Salmonella in different farm environments.

Products

Abstract of project report (PDF)

Return to REU 2012.

NIMBioS
1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-3410
PH: (865) 974-9334
FAX: (865) 974-9461
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From 2008 until early 2021, NIMBioS was supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.