** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** RECENT DISEASE OUTBREAKS EMPHASIZE THE CONTINUED ECONOMIC THREAT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES TO THE SWINE FARMERS. THESE CHALLENGES HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR EFFICIENT APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE NEW PATHOGENS WHILE FURTHERING DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAPTURE MICROBIAL PATHOGENS RELEVANT IN SWINE. THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN BE APPLIED TO LIMIT THE IMPACT OF PATHOGENS AT BOTH FARM AND INDUSTRY-WIDE LEVELS. MICROBIAL AND PATHOGEN COMPOSITION WILL BE DETECTED IN SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM DIFFERENT TISSUE SOURCES (ORAL, FECAL, NASAL AND BLOOD) USING HIGHLY-EFFICIENT DNA SEQUENCING METHODS AND SPECIFIC-MICROBIAL DETECTION TESTS. WE PLAN TO COMBINE MICROBIAL INFECTION DATA WITH PIG DNA INFORMATION IN ORDER TO FIND GENES AND DNA MARKERS THAT COULD PREDICT MICROBIAL DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY. THIS PROJECT PLANS TO GENERATE GENETIC TESTS AND MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS THAT COULD IMPROVE ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE BY PREDICTING WHICH PIGS WILL BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SPECIFIC MICROBIAL DISEASES.