Exposure of Workers to Airborne Microorganisms in Open-Air Swine Houses

Abstract

This study quantified the levels of airborne microorganisms in six swine farms with more than 10,000 pigs in subtropical Taiwan

Molecular Analysis of Bacterial and Circovirus Bioaerosols in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

“…In contrast, previous CAFO bioaerosol studies based on culture counts concluded that fungi contributed a sizable portion of the overall observed (via culture) airborne ecology (Hanhela et al 1995;Chang et al 2001;Adhikari et al 2004a,b;Jo and Kang 2005;Chi and Li 2005;Lee et al 2006;Kim et al 2008). This conclusion based on culture, however, is not supported by our results.…”

“…Until very recently, CAFO aerobiology has been characterized mainly with culture-based techniques that emphasize species that grow best at moderate temperature under oxic conditions (Cormier et al 1990;Crook et al 1991;Chang et al 2001;Predicala et al 2002;Jo and Kang 2005;Kim et al 2008). Our study sidestepped these constraints by use of cultureindependent technology.…”

“…Except for the most acute infections, the etiological agents of lung disorders in CAFO workers are not well characterized, in part because the current understanding of the aerobiology in these environments is based on traditional culture analyses, which typically isolate only a small fraction of microbes (Amann et al 1995;Pace 1997). Additionally, past studies have been limited to descriptions of mesophilic aerobic bacteria and/or fungi (Cormier et al 1990;Crook et al 1991;Chang et al 2001;Predicala et al 2002;Jo and Kang 2005;Kim et al 2008) isolated from these environments. As a result of these constraints, little is known about the bulk composition of CAFO aerosol microbiology.…”

Characteristics of Microbial Aerosols Released from Chicken and Swine Feces

“…Conversely, other parts of swine houses (e.g., nurseries with slatted floors, where waste is regularly cleaned away) had significantly lower amounts of total culturable and Gramnegative bacteria. 6 Moreover, the genus Stenotrophomonas has been identified in samples of compost of swine manure. 24 Hence, swine feces seem to be a significant source of airborne Gram-negative bacteria in swine houses.…”

“…These values were adopted from a study that was previously carried out in Taiwan. 6 The air-exchange rate (ACH) was 1 hr Ϫ1 (Ϯ3%), which is typical of buildings with mild ventilation. Such setup yielded an airflow of 0.01 m/sec above the sample.…”