title: Environmental contamination by Aspergillus spp. in laying hen farms and associated health risks for farm workers.
abstract: Data on the occurrence and epidemiology of Aspergillus spp. in laying hens farms are scant. With the aims of determining levels of airborne contamination in laying hen farms and evaluating the potential risk of infection for workers and animals, 57 air samples from 19 sheds (Group I), 69 from faeces (Group II), 19 from poultry feedstuffs (Group III) and 60 from three anatomical sites (i.e. nostrils, pharynx, ears) of 20 farm workers (Group IV) were cultured. The Aspergillus spp. prevalence in samples ranged from 31.6% (Group III) to 55.5% (Group IV), whereas the highest conidia concentration was retrieved in Group II (1.2 × 10(4) c.f.u. g(-1)) and in Group III (1.9 × 10(3) c.f.u. g(-1)). The mean concentration of airborne Aspergillus spp. conidia was 70 c.f.u. m(-3) with Aspergillus fumigatus (27.3%) being the most frequently detected species, followed by Aspergillus flavus (6.3%). These Aspergillus spp. were also isolated from human nostrils (40%) and ears (35%) (P<0.05) (Group IV). No clinical aspergillosis was diagnosed in hens. The results demonstrate a relationship between the environmental contamination in hen farms and presence of Aspergillus spp. on animals and humans. Even if the concentration of airborne Aspergillus spp. conidia (i.e. 70 c.f.u. m(-3)) herein detected does not trigger clinical disease in hens, it causes human colonization. Correct management of hen farms is necessary to control environmental contamination by Aspergillus spp., and could lead to a significant reduction of animal and human colonization.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cafarchia
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Camarda
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iatta
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università, 1035020 Legnaro (PD), Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Danesi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Favuzzi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Paola
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pugliese
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caroli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche ed Oncologia Umana, Università degli Studi di Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Montagna
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Str. prov. le per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Otranto
mesh_terms: D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001231:Aspergillus flavus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013172:Spores, Fungal