THE LONG-TERM GOALS OF THIS RESEARCH ARE TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABLE, MYCOREMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES CAPABLE OF REDUCING PATHOGENS AND CONTAMINANTS PRESENT IN AGRICULTURAL MANURE WASTE STREAMS, WHICH HAVE BECOME A CONSIDERABLE THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND OVERALL FOOD SAFETY. IMPROPER HANDLING OF MANURE HAS RESULTED IN DIRECT CONTAMINATION OF PRODUCE, WATER, ANIMALS AND HUMANS. ZOONOTIC PATHOGENS SUCH AS SALMONELLA, PATHOGENIC AND NON-PATHOGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI, CRYPTOSPORIDIUM, AND LISTERIA ARE FOUND IN ANIMAL MANURE. MANURE APPLICATION CAN ALSO INTRODUCE ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. ANTIBIOTICS, USED IN ANIMAL PRODUCTION, AND THEIR METABOLITES ARE EXCRETED IN MANURE AND PERSIST IN STORED MANURE, SOIL, AND WATER. PLANTS GROWN IN SOIL CONTAINING ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES UPTAKE AND TRANSLOCATE THEM TO THE ROOTS, STEMS, LEAVES AND FRUITS, WHICH IS PROBLEMATIC IF INGESTED AS RAW PRODUCE BY HUMANS. INGESTION OF THESE RAW PLANTS CAN CAUSE EXTRANEOUS EXPOSURE TO ANTIBIOTICS. COMPOSTING OF SOLID MANURE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES CAN REDUCE CERTAIN PATHOGENS, BUT PATHOGEN REGROWTH CAN OCCUR ONCE TEMPERATURES DECREASE. THE WHITE ROT FUNGUS (WRF), PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS, IN BIOREACTORS CAN REDUCE E.COLI IN DIARY MANURE. THE WRF, PHANEROCHAETE CHRYSOSPORIUM, CAN DEGRADE OXYTETRACYCLINE AND TETRACYCLINE IN A CRUDE ENZYME EXTRACT. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO OPTIMIZE FUNGAL BIOREACTOR PROPERTIES, EVALUATE THE PREDATION/DEGRADATION BEHAVIOR OF THE WRF, AND EFFICIENTLY DEGRADE CONTAMINANTS IN DAIRY MANURE. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL ASSESS THE ABILITY OF WHITE ROT FUNGI TO DEGRADE BACTERIA AND ANTIBIOTICS IN MANURE. USING BIOREACTORS, WE WILL ASSESS THE EFFECT OF NUTRIENTS AND OTHER COMPOUNDS PRESENT IN THE MANURE ON THE DEGRADATION ABILITY OF THE FUNGI. WE WILL ALSO EVALUATE HOW THE TYPE OF FLOW WITHIN THE BIOREACTOR WILL AFFECT FUNGAL DEGRADATION OF PATHOGENS AND ANTIBIOTICS. WE WILL ALSO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL OF COMPOSTING MANURES WITH FUNGI TO DEGRADE BACTERIA ANDANTIBIOTICS IN SOLID MANURE. WE WILL ASSESS WAYS TO IMPROVE PATHOGEN REMOVAL BY MANIPULATING THE RATIO OF MANURE TO FUNGUS.FROM THIS, WE WILL IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF FUNGAL BIOREMEDIATION AND DEVELOP METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR TREATMENT OF ANIMAL MANURES. WE WILL APPLY THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOP FUNGAL BIOREACTORS THAT ARE LOW COST ALTERNATIVES FOR MANURE MANAGEMENT. BY IMPROVING THE ABILITY OF COMPOSTING METHODS TO REDUCE BACTERIA IN ANIMAL MANURE, WE WILL IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY AND DECREASE THE RISK OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO CONTAMINATED FOOD RESULTING FROM MANURE APPLICATION. BY DEVELOPING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR SAFE AND EFFICIENT COMPOSTING, WE WILL HELP SET SAFETY RULES FOR THE APPLICATION OF BIOLOGICAL SOIL AMENDMENTS. WE WILL IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND INCREASE FOOD SAFETY. THIS WORK SHOULD HELP INCREASE THE VALUE OF BIOLOGICAL SOIL AMENDMENTS AS WELL.