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Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, Vol. 60 No. 4, 2009.

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-60-2009-1970

Airborne Fungi in Dwellings for Dairy Cows and Laying Hens

Kristina Matković orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-3091-4981 ; Department of Animal Hygiene, Environment and Ethology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Vučemilo ; Department of Animal Hygiene, Environment and Ethology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Bara Vinković ; Laboratory for Ecology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia

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Abstract

The air of animal dwellings can contain great amounts of bioaerosol composed of dust, bacteria, fungi, and endotoxins. The composition may depend on animal species, building construction, animal accommodation, and microclimate parameters, to name just a few factors. Pathogens contained may be a serious threat to
animal and human health.
The aim of our study was to analyse the fungi aerosol content in a stable housing dairy cows and in a coop for laying hens over the three autumn months of 2007. The air was sampled on Petri dishes with Sabouraud glucose agar. After laboratory treatment, we identifi ed the most common fungi. Their count in the stable ranged from 3.98x103 CFU m-3 to 5.11x104 CFU m-3 and in the coop from 6.89 x104 CFU m-3 to 1.13x105 CFU m-3. The difference between the two animal dwellings was statistically different at the level of p<0.05. In both dwellings, the most common were the fungi Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and yeasts, followed by Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Scopulariopsis sp., Alternaria sp., and Rhizopus sp.
Our results are entirely in line with values reported in literature and are at the lower end of the range. They call for further investigation that would eventually lead to setting air quality standards for animal dwellings and to developing reliable monitoring systems in order to ensure safe food and safe environment.

Keywords

air hygiene; airborne microorganisms; animal housing; environment

Hrčak ID:

45371

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/45371

Publication date:

22.12.2009.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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