title: Stable isotope ratio method for the characterisation of the poultry house environment.
abstract: Stable isotope analysis was applied to describe the poultry house environment. The poultry house indoor environment was selected for this study due to the relevant health problems in animals and their caretakers. Air quality parameters including temperature, relative humidity, airflow rate, NH3, CO2and total suspended particles, as well as mean levels of total airborne bacteria and fungi count, were measured. Carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C) were obtained in size-segregated aerosol particles. The carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) isotope ratios were measured in feed, litter, scrapings from the ventilation system, feathers and eggs. Additionally, the distribution of δ13C and δ15N values in different tissues of the chicken was examined. The airborne bacteria and fungi extracted from the air filters collected from poultry farms were grown in the laboratory in media with known isotope values and measured for stable isotope ratios. Analysis of isotope fractionation between microorganisms and their media indicated the applicability of stable isotope analysis in bulk samples for the identification of source material. The analysed examples imply that stable isotope analysis can be used to examine the indoor environment along with its biology and ecology, and serve as an informative bioanalytical tool.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Raminta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Skipitytė
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Agnė
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mašalaitė
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Andrius
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garbaras
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences , Centre of Environmental Research, Vytautas Magnus University , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Rūta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mickienė
authors.affiliation: c Sector of Medicinal Plants , Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ona
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ragažinskienė
authors.affiliation: d Department of Food Safety and Quality, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Academy , Lithuanian University of Health Sciences , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baliukonienė
authors.affiliation: d Department of Food Safety and Quality, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Academy , Lithuanian University of Health Sciences , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Bronius
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bakutis
authors.affiliation: e Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Academy , Lithuanian University of Health Sciences , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Jūratė
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Šiugždaitė
authors.affiliation: e Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Academy , Lithuanian University of Health Sciences , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Saulius
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petkevičius
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences , Centre of Environmental Research, Vytautas Magnus University , Kaunas , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Audrius Sigitas
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Maruška
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vidmantas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Remeikis
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D002645:Chickens; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005241:Feathers / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D006799:Housing, Animal; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D010063:Ovum / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes
keywords: Aerosol particles; carbon-13; isotope ecology; isotope fractionation; microorganisms; nitrogen-15; poultry house environment