The variability of bacterial aerosol in poultry houses depending on selected factors

Abstract

Objectives: This study is aimed at evaluation of bacterial air contamination in intensive poultry breeding. The evaluation was based on the determined levels of bacterial concentrations and qualitative identification of isolated microorganisms. Materials and Methods: The study covered 5 poultry houses: two hatcheries and three hen houses with the litter bed system. The air was sampled in three measurement series in the central part of the investigated workplace at the height of about 1.5 m over the ground, using portable measuring sets consisting of a GilAir 5 (Sensidyne, USA) pump and a measuring head filled with a glass microfibre filter (Whatman, UK). For the quantitative and qualitative analysis of microorganisms were used appropriate microbiological media. Results: The total concentrations of airborne mesophilic bacteria inside the poultry breeding houses ranged from 4. . The lowest concentrations of each group of the examined microorganisms were noted in the second measurement series when the air exchange in the breeding houses was over twice higher than in first and third measurement series because the mechanical ventilation was supported by natural ventilation (opened gates in the buildings). The lowest concentrations of total bacteria were obtained in those buildings where one-day old chickens were kept. Gram-positive bacteria of the genera: Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Corynebacterium, Brevibacterium, Micrococcus, Cellulomonas, Bacillus, Aerococcus, and Gram-negative bacteria of the genera: Pseudomonas, Moraxella, Escherichia, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Pasteurella, Pantoea were isolated. It was shown that for most of the investigated livestock premises the total bacteria concentrations exceeded the reference value of 1.0×10 5 cfu/m 3 . Furthermore, pathogenic microorganisms which are a potential threat to human health (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae ssp. ozaenae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium) were found among the identified bacteria. Conclusions: The results indicate that the hygienic conditions of the working environment connected with litter bed system production of poultry are affected by changes of the efficiency of ventilation and create a direct health risk to employees. They should use personal protective measures to protect their respiratory tract, especially when the gates in the hen houses are closed. Key words: Bacterial aerosol, Poultry breeding, Occupational exposure, Health risksThe project was financed with a grant for statutory activity IMP 3.2/2009 titled "Assessment of the influence of biological agents levels and irritant gases levels on the activity of the respiratory system in workers employed in poultry breeding". Project leader: Alina Buczyńska, PhD.

Free chlorine loss during spraying of membraneless acidic electrolyzed water and its antimicrobial effect on airborne bacteria from poultry house

“…Moreover, the number of air samplings in this experiment was relatively small, which could be another reason for the negative results. Previous studies have reported that the Gram-negative only account for a small portion in the total bacteria in livestock houses [24,25], and are therefore more difficult to recover.…”

Site-related and seasonal variation of bioaerosol emission in an indoor wastewater treatment station: level, characteristics of particle size, and microbial structure

“…Enterobacter sp. was an important pathogenic bacterium that causes infectious diseases including skin soft tissue infection, respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, and sepsis because of the widespread use of antibiotics (Brodka et al 2012;Korzeniewska and Harnisz 2012). Future studies should focus more on the potential health risk of exposure to Acinetobacter, S. saprophyticus, and Enterobacter sp.…”

Microbiological characterization of stable resuspended dust

“…Staphylococcus xylosus (read count 14, amounting to 0.098%) has been shown to play a role in infections of the urinary tract in humans and more rarely, in pneumonia [19]. The prevalence of Staphylococcus species is not surprising: in a study conducted in a poultry house, Staphylococcus sp., including S. lentus, S. xylosus, S. sciuri, and S. chromogenes accounted for 42% of all isolated microorganisms [20]. …”