ABSTRACT
Microorganisms found in bioaerosols from animal confinement buildings not only foster the risk of spreading diseases among livestock buildings, but also pose health hazards to farm workers and nearby residents. This study identified the various microorganisms present in the air of swine, chicken, and cattle farms with different kinds of ventilation conditions in Korea. Microbial air samples were collected onto Petri dishes with bacterial or fungal growth media using a cascade impactor. Endotoxin levels in total dust were determined by the limulus amebocyte lysate kinetic QCL method. Prevalent Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus (S.) lentus, S. chromogenes, Bacillus (B.) cereus, B. licheniformis, and Enterococcus faecalis, while the dominant fungi and Gram-negative bacteria were Candida albicans and Sphingomonas paucimobilis, respectively. Considering no significant relationship between the indoor dust endotoxin levels and the isolation of Gram-negative bacteria from the indoor air, monitoring the indoor airborne endotoxin level was found to be also critical for risk assessment on health for animals or workers. The present study confirms the importance of microbiological monitoring and control on animal husbandry indoor air to ensure animal and worker welfare.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cattle , Agriculture , Animal Husbandry , Bacillus , Bacteria , Candida albicans , Chickens , Dust , Enterococcus faecalis , Farmers , Fungi , Gram-Negative Bacteria , Gram-Positive Bacteria , Horseshoe Crabs , Korea , Livestock , Methods , Risk Assessment , Sphingomonas , Staphylococcus , Swine , VentilationABSTRACT
La calidad del aire de los ambientes internos puede estar influenciada por distintas partículas suspendidas en la atmósfera (polvo, polen, bacterias, hongos, virus) que pueden causar daños a documentos y presentar reacciones alérgicas en personas que trabajan con éstos. Con este trabajo, se identificaron hasta género los microorganismos presentes en el ambiente del archivo central, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, que podrían causar alergias respiratorias en los trabajadores de esta área. Para las muestras de ambiente se empleó el método de sedimentación en placa utilizando agar papa dextrosa y se midieron temperatura y humedad relativa durante cada muestreo. Asimismo, se aplicó una encuesta a los trabajadores con el fin de conocer sintomatología respiratoria sugestiva que pudieran presentar por el manejo de documentos y se tomaron muestras de fosas nasales a algunos de ellos. Se aislaron del ambiente 14 géneros entre hongos, levaduras y bacterias, y dos categorías de microorganismos no identificadas. Los géneros fúngicos predominantes fueron Mucor spp., y Penicillium spp., con un 36,6% y 27,5%, respectivamente, del total de colonias aisladas. Las formas levaduriformes principalmente del género Rhodotorula, y bacterianas con predominio de formas cocoides fueron aisladas en menor proporción. No se encontró correlación estadísticamente significativa entre el promedio de unidades formadoras de colonia con temperatura y humedad relativa del ambiente. Además, en las muestras de fosas nasales sólo se encontró microbiota normal de nariz, lo cual indica que los síntomas respiratorios sugestivos que presentan los trabajadores no estuvieron influenciados directamente por la presencia de esporas de hongos en el ambiente del archivo central.
Air quality of indoor environments can be influenced by different particles suspended in the atmosphere (dust, pollen, bacteria, fungi, and virus) that could cause damage to documents and induce allergic reactions in people working with these documents. In this work, we identified until genera the microorganisms present in the environment of the central archive of Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia; specifically those that could cause respiratory allergies to personnel of this area. For the environment samples, we used the open Petri dish sedimentation method using potato dextrose agar, and measured temperature and relative humidity during each sampling. Also, a survey was taken of the workers to record respiratory symptoms that could arise from handling documents. Samples were taken from the nostrils of some of these workers. Fourteen genera among fungi, yeasts, and bacteria, and two non identified categories were isolated from the environment. The predominant fungal genera were Mucor spp. and Penicillium spp. with 36.6% and 27.5% of the total of isolated colonies, respectively. Yeast, mainly Rhodotorula genera, and bacteria with prevalence coccus forms were isolated in smaller proportions. There was not statistically significant correlation among the average of colony forming units and the temperature and relative humidity in the environment. In addition, nostril samples yielded only normal microbiota of the nose, indicating that suggestive respiratory symptoms workers presented are not directly influenced by the presence of fungal spores in the environment at the central archive.