Relation Between Microclimate and Air Quality in the Extensively Reared Turkey House

Abstract

Good air quality in poultry houses is crucial for animal health and productivity. In these houses, air is generally contaminated with noxious gases and microorganisms, the concentrations of which depend on numerous factors including microclimate. In this case study, the relation between microclimate and air concentrations of noxious gases and microorganisms was investigated in extensively reared turkey house. The study was carried out at a family household in Dalmatia hinterland, Croatia, with 50.3±3.1 turkeys kept in the house during the study period. Air temperature, relative humidity, airflow rate, concentrations of ammonia, carbon dioxide, bacteria and fungi in indoor air were measured three times per month from September to December, in the morning, prior to releasing turkeys out for grazing. Air temperature ranged from 9.73 to 26.98 °C, relative humidity from 63.29% to 75.08%, and airflow rate from 0.11 to 0.17 m/s. Lowest ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations were measured in September (2.17 ppm and 550 ppm, respectively) and highest in December (4.50 ppm and 900 ppm, respectively). Bacterial and fungal counts were lowest in December (2.51x10 5 CFU/m 3 and 3.27x10 3 CFU/m 3 air, respectively) and highest in September (6.85x10 5 CFU/m 3 and 1.06x10 5 CFU/m 3 air, respectively). Air temperature and relative humidity showed negative correlation with concentrations of noxious gases and positive correlation with air microorganisms (P<0.05 all).

Assessment of fungal aerosol exposure at selected workplaces contaminated with organic dust of different origin

“…Ich obecność była związana z dużą ilością materii organicznej pochodzenia roślinnego i zwierzęcego w tych obiektach, która (w odpowiednich warunkach wilgotnościowych i temperaturowych) jest naturalnym miejscem rozwoju dla gatunków grzybów. Uzyskane w niniejszych badaniach wartości stężenia aerozolu grzybowego były zbliżone do odnotowywanych przez innych badaczy na stanowiskach pracy związanych z hodowlą drobiu -1,2×10 3 -5,9×10 5 jtk/m 3 [19][20][21], przemysłem drzewnym i przetwarzaniem biomasy -1,6×10 2 --8,8×10 5 jtk/m 3 [22][23][24][25] oraz gospodarką wodno-ściekową -0-26,7×10 3 jtk/m 3 [26,27].…”