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Pneumonia is nothing to sneeze at, particularly if you’re a pig farmer.

The disease represents the most significant economic burden to the Australian pork industry, costing farmers nearly $20 million each year in lost production.

Pig pneumonia is caused by a bacterium, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, which adheres to the hair-like cilia and microvilli of the pig’s respiratory tract. Infected pigs rapidly lose condition and become increasingly susceptible to secondary infections.

Current vaccines are only partially effective in ameliorating disease symptoms and outbreaks, but do not prevent initial infection.

According to Dr Cheryl Jenkins, a research fellow at the University of Wollongong, the key to developing a successful vaccine lies in identifying the mechanisms the bacterium uses to damage cells in the pig’s respiratory system.

“While the proteins that the bacterium uses to adhere to the cilia have been identified, it remains unclear how adherence leads to cellular damage,” she said.

With her Award, Dr Jenkins will travel to Germanyto work with world renowned experts in microbial pathogenesis and microscopy, researching the early stages of infection of M. hyopneumoniae.

“If we can work out how the bacterium damages the cells in the host’s respiratory tract without triggering an immune response, we’ll be closer to developing an effective vaccine.”