Bates Wins 2023 Morrison Swine Innovator Prize with E. Coli Research

October 5, 2023 — 

How do pH levels affect E. coli growth? Carly Bates, a third-year student at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, answered this question during the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in her presentation, "How low should the pH go? How pH levels affect E. coli growth." On Sept. 18, she was awarded the 2023 Morrison Swine Innovator Prize, an award given to veterinary students who want to specialize in swine medicine.

"This summer I got to spend a lot of time in barns and at sites that were unfortunately suffering from E. Coli breaks," Bates explains. "I got to see firsthand the devastations that this disease can cause on producers, caretakers and even the vet team. Seeing all this, I knew I wanted to focus one of my summer projects on being able to help the swine industry prevent and decrease the effects of E. Coli, especially in the face of many anti-microbial resistant strains."

Bates studied the growth of F18 Escherichia coli at various pH levels. F18 E. coli typically affects post-weaning pigs around 10-12 weeks of age and has a mortality rate between 50% and 90%.

Read the full story at Farm Journal's Pork.

[Source: Farm Journal's Pork 25 September 2023 by Jennifer Shike]