Microbiological Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality in Chicken Fattening Houses

Abstract

This study was conducted at one of the largest poultry companies in Kuwait during November and December 2019 to evaluate the microbiological threats of Escherichia coli (APEC), Salmonella spp., and Aspergillus fumigatus to chickens in fattening houses by counting and identifying the microorganisms by culturing and pyrosequencing analysis. During the fattening cycle, the temperature and humidity ranged between 23.6°C and 29°C and 64.1% and 87.1%, respectively. The total bacterial population and Aspergillus fumigatus measured in the indoor and outdoor air exhibited a linear relationship during the fattening cycle. The total bacterial and Aspergillus concentrations determined during the cycle ranged between 150 and 2000 CFU/m3 and 0 and 1000 CFU/m3, respectively. E. coli and Salmonella spp. concentrations determined during the cycle ranged between 1 and 220 CFU/m3 and 4 and 110 CFU/m3, respectively. Pyrosequencing analysis of the air inside the houses at the end of the cycle revealed extensive biodiversity in the microorganisms, detecting 32 bacterial genera and 14 species. The identified species belonging to the genera Corynebacterium, Haemophilus, Streptococcus, Veillonella, and Aspergillus were identified as potentially affecting human and broiler health. The emission of potentially pathogenic bacteria to the outdoor environment from chicken housing can pose a considerable risk to human health and environmental microbial pollution. This study could guide the development of integrated control devices for monitoring microbes in broiler production facilities during chicken collection for transport to slaughterhouses.

Analysis of Mycotoxins and Cytotoxicity of Airborne Molds Isolated from the Zoological Garden—Screening Research

“…Several studies have investigated microbial and mycological air pollution in animal production facilities [ 13 ] and agricultural environments [ 14 , 15 ]. However, research on non-production facilities, such as zoological gardens, is scarce.…”

Mycological air contamination level and biodiversity of airborne fungi isolated from the zoological garden air — preliminary research

“…There have been a lot of studies about microbial and mycological air contamination in animal production premises (Plewa and Lonc 2011 ; Pusz et al 2015 ; Matković et al 2009 ) or in the farming environment (Radon et al 2002 ; Almatawah et al 2023 ), but there are only several publications relating to non-production facilities, such as zoos. In Poland, the first study carried out in the zoological garden was initiated by Grzyb and Lenart-Boroń ( 2019 ) and focused mainly on bacterial bioaerosol in the selected animal premises in the Krakow’s Zoological Garden.…”

Vaccine Immunogenicity versus Gastrointestinal Microbiome Status: Implications for Poultry Production

“…When discussing vaccine hyporesponsiveness in poultry, investigations regarding the relationship between gut microbiome status and vaccine efficacy have been very limited (Table 1). As previously noted, commercial poultry houses have high microbial loads [10,11] that could disrupt the microbiome of young chicks with undeveloped immune systems [16,33,64]. Only in recent years have exploratory studies evaluated the effects of antibiotic administration in broiler flocks on the efficacy of a variety of vaccines [65,66] or inflammation when challenged with live pathogens [67].…”

“…This point is especially pertinent when discussing effective vaccination programs administered during food animal production. In poultry production, the high environmental microbial load in commercial poultry houses could induce enteric inflammation among young chicks [9][10][11], which could theoretically lead to reduced vaccine immunogenicity in the flock [12,13]. Additionally, there is limited evidence which suggests that vaccine administration influences the established mucosal microbiota of various tissues in the days following vaccination [14].…”