Efeitos da estabulação sobre o trato respiratório de equinos em dois tipos diferentes de camas e a pasto

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Señor Don Salvador Sardania y compañia, assentista de Reales Hospitales, camas y utensilios de los reynos de Aragon, Murcia y Principado de Cataluña dize que... se encargara de proveer la paja que necesitàre la cavalleria... [Texto impreso]

Hay un ejemplar encuadernado con: La Real Compañia formada por S.M. para llevar a efecto el canal de navegación y riego del reyno de Murcia, las... experiencias de que informa D. Domingo Aguirre... le han confirmado en los abusos y fraudes que hacen muchos... (XVIII/4279).

Camp Creek radioactive mineral placer area, Blaine and Camas Counties, Idaho /

"June 1955."

Características químicas do solo e desempenho de culturas após quatro anos de aplicações de cama de aviário em diferentes épocas e níveis

Due to the high supply and its attractive cost, the poultry litter has been used in the southwestern region of Parana to the improvement of soil fertility seeking greater production of grains and pastures. However, the use without technical knowledge can minimize the benefits of poultry litter or even cause undesirable effects on soil, environmental pollution and also productivity losses in the used crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different times of poultry litter application, predating the winter crop, associated with increasing levels, about soil chemical properties, release of nutrients and crop performances in four consecutive years (2011-2014). In the first three years the experimental design was randomized blocks with a split plot system and four replications. In the main plots were tested four poultry litter application times preceding the wheat production: 0, 15, 30 and 45 days before sowing (DAS); in the subplots were applied four poultry litter levels (wet basis): 0, 4, 8 and 12 Mg ha-1. Last year one more subdivision of plots was done, evaluating the use or not of nitrogen in coverage in wheat, at a dose of 100 kg N ha-1. The wheat cultivar used in the four years was the BRS 220. In three years it was evaluated the residual effect on soybean production (cultivar - BMX Turbo RR) and in one year on the beans. The chemical soil attributes were evaluated at four depths 0-2,5cm, 2,5-5cm, 5-10cm and 10-20cm, and also the rate of decomposition and nutrient release of poultry litter and the crop productivity. The different times of application concerning the poultry litter had little influence on the studied variables, demonstrating that the producer does not need to have a specific date (before planting) to the application of poultry litter. Potassium was fully released 60 days after the allocation of litter bags into the field; for nitrogen and phosphorus the release was slower. The use of increasing levels of poultry litter increased the levels of various soil elements, highlighting the potassium which reached 20 cm deep in the second year of evaluation. The increase in pH and in the base saturation occurred only in the upper layers, while the phosphorus reached 10 cm deep in the third year of the study. It was observed increased pH and base saturation. The use of increasing doses of poultry litter contributed to the wheat plant nutrition, significantly increasing the weight of a thousand grains, and the grain yield of wheat in all the evaluated years; the nitrogen fertilization in coverage also had significant effect for the fourth evaluated year. Also there was a significant response from the residual effect of poultry litter for crops planted in summer for both soybeans and beans.

Ventilation influence in occupational exposure to fungi and volatile organic compounds: poultry case

Introduction - In poultry houses, large-scale production has led to increased bird densities within buildings. Such high densities of animals kept within confined spaces are a source of human health problems related to occupational organic dust exposure. This organic dust is composed of both non-viable particles and viable particulate matter (also called bioaerosols). Bioaerosols are comprised by airborne bacteria, fungi, viruses and their by-products, endotoxins and mycotoxins. Exposure to fungi in broiler houses may vary depending upon the applied ventilation system. Ventilation can be an important resource in order to reduce air contamination in these type of settings. Nevertheless, some concerns regarding costs, sensitivity of the animal species to temperature differences, and also the type of building used define which type of ventilation is used. Aim of the study - A descriptive study was developed in one poultry unit aiming to assess occupational fungal and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure.

Condição microbiológica dos leitos hospitalares antes e depois de sua limpeza

INTRODUÇÃO: O meio ambiente hospitalar guarda uma íntima relação com as infecções hospitalares, podendo proporcionar focos de contato e de transmissão. Como a higiene representa uma das formas de controlar a contaminação ambiental, realizou-se estudo para avaliar as condições microbiológicas dos colchões hospitalares antes e depois de sua limpeza. MÉTODOS: Utilizaram-se, para a colheita dos espécimes, placas de contato -- Rodac-plate ¾ preparadas com meio de cultura ágar-sangue. Selecionaram-se os leitos de acordo com critérios previamente estabelecidos, e os locais de colheita sob o colchão foram escolhidos por sorteio aleatório. Aplicou-se o teste estatístico de Goodman para o estudo das alterações numéricas quanto a positividade das placas. RESULTADOS: Foram investigados 52 colchões, totalizando 520 placas, das quais 514 (98,8%) resultaram em culturas positivas, sendo que 259 corresponderam ao período anterior à limpeza e 255 ao período posterior ao procedimento. Houve redução de culturas positivas em apenas 4 placas. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a limpeza, da forma como vem sendo conduzida, provoca o deslocamento da carga microbiana para outros pontos do colchão em vez de diminuí-la, resultando na manutenção da quantidade de microorganismos que existia anteriormente à limpeza.

Occupational exposure to aflatoxin (AFB1) in poultry production

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been recognized to cause cancer in the humans liver. Epidemiological and laboratory evidence also point towards the respiratory system as target for carcinogenesis. Exposure occurs mainly through food chain but inhalation represent an additional route of exposure. Agricultural workers have the greatest risk of occupational exposure due to their exposition to airborne aflatoxin through inhalation of dust.

Fungal contamination of poultries litter: a public health problem

Exposure to certain fungi can cause human illness. Fungi cause adverse human health effects through three specific mechanisms: generation of a harmful immune response (e.g., allergy or hypersensitivity pneumonitis); direct infection by the fungal organism; by toxic-irritant effects from mold byproducts, such as mycotoxins. In Portugal there is an increasingly industry of large facilities that produce whole chickens for domestic consumption and only few investigations have reported on fungal contamination of the poultry litter. The material used for poultry litter is varied but normally can be constitute by: pine shavings; sawdust of eucalyptus; other types of wood; peanut; coffee; sugar cane; straw; hay; grass; paper processed. Litter is one of the most contributive factors to fungal contamination in poultries. Spreading litter is one of the tasks that normally involve higher exposure of the poultry workers to dust, fungi and their metabolites, such as VOC’s and mycotoxins. After being used and removed from poultries, litter is ploughed into agricultural soils, being this practice potentially dangerous for the soil environment, as well for both humans and animals. The goal of this study was to characterize litter’s fungal contamination and also to report the incidence of keratinophilic and toxigenic fungi.

Air contaminants in animal production: the poultry case

A descriptive study was developed in order to assess air contamination caused by fungi and particles in seven poultry units. Twenty seven air samples of 25 litters were collected through impaction method. Air sampling and particle concentration measurement were performed in the pavilions’ interior and also outside premises, since this was the place regarded as reference. Simultaneously, temperature and relative humidity were also registered. Regarding fungal load in the air from the seven poultry farms, the highest value obtained was 24040 CFU/m3 and the lowest was 320 CFU/m3. Twenty eight species/genera of fungi were identified, being Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (39.0%) the most commonly isolated species and Rhizopus sp. (30.0%) the most commonly isolated genus. From the Aspergillus genus, Aspergillus flavus (74.5%) was the most frequently detected species. There was a significant correlation (r=0.487; p=0.014) between temperature and the level of fungal contamination (CFU/m3). Considering contamination caused by particles, in this study, particles with larger dimensions (PM5.0 and PM10) have higher concentrations. There was also a significant correlation between relative humidity and concentration of smaller particles namely, PM0.5 (r=0.438; p=0.025) and PM1.0 (r=0.537; p=0.005). Characterizing typical exposure levels to these contaminants in this specific occupational setting is required to allow a more detailed risk assessment analysis and to set exposure limits to protect workers’ health.

Comparison of indoor and outdoor fungi and particles in poultry units

A descriptive study was developed in order to compare indoor and outdoor air contamination caused by fungi and particles in seven poultry units. Twenty eight air samples of 25 litters were collected through the impaction method on malt extract agar. Air sampling and particles concentration measurement were done in the interior and also outside premises of the poultries’ pavilions. Regarding the fungal load in the air, indoor concentration of mold was higher than outside air in six poultry units. Twenty eight species / genera of fungi were identified indoor, being Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (40.5%) the most commonly isolated species and Rhizopus sp. (30.0%) the most commonly isolated genus. Concerning outdoor, eighteen species/genera of fungi were isolated, being Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (62.6%) also the most isolated. All the poultry farms analyzed presented indoor fungi different from the ones identified outdoors. Regarding particles’ contamination, PM2.5, PM5.0 and PM10 had a statistically significant difference (Mann-Whitney U test) between the inside and outside of the pavilions, with the inside more contaminated (p=.006; p=.005; p=.005, respectively). The analyzed poultry units are potential reservoirs of substantial amounts of fungi and particles and could therefore free them in the atmospheric air. The developed study showed that indoor air was more contaminated than outdoors, and this can result in emission of potentially pathogenic fungi and particles via aerosols from poultry units to the environment, which may post a considerable risk to public health and contribute to environmental pollution.

Fungal contamination of poultry litter: a public health problem

Although numerous studies have been conducted on microbial contaminants associated with various stages related to poultry and meat products processing, only a few reported on fungal contamination of poultry litter. The goals of this study were to (1) characterize litter fungal contamination and (2) report the incidence of keratinophilic and toxigenic fungi presence. Seven fresh and 14 aged litter samples were collected from 7 poultry farms. In addition, 27 air samples of 25 litters were also collected through impaction method, and after laboratory processing and incubation of collected samples, quantitative colony-forming units (CFU/m3) and qualitative results were obtained. Twelve different fungal species were detected in fresh litter and Penicillium was the most frequent genus found (59.9%), followed by Alternaria (17.8%), Cladosporium (7.1%), and Aspergillus (5.7%). With respect to aged litter, 19 different fungal species were detected, with Penicillium sp. the most frequently isolated (42.3%), followed by Scopulariopsis sp. (38.3%), Trichosporon sp. (8.8%), and Aspergillus sp. (5.5%). A significant positive correlation was found between litter fungal contamination (CFU/g) and air fungal contamination (CFU/m3). Litter fungal quantification and species identification have important implications in the evaluation of potential adverse health risks to exposed workers and animals. Spreading of poultry litter in agricultural fields is a potential public health concern, since keratinophilic (Scopulariopsis and Fusarium genus) as well as toxigenic fungi (Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium genus) were isolated.

Occupational exposure to aflatoxin (AFB1) in poultry production

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been recognized to produce cancer in human liver. In addition, epidemiological and laboratory studies demonstrated that the respiratory system was a target for AFB1. Exposure occurs predominantly through the food chain, but inhalation represents an additional route of exposure. The present study aimed to examine AFB1 exposure among poultry workers in Portugal. Blood samples were collected from a total of 31 poultry workers from six poultry farms. In addition, a control group (n = 30) was included comprised of workers who undertook administrative tasks. Measurement of AFB1 in serum was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For examining fungi contamination, air samples were collected through an impaction method. Air sampling was obtained in pavilion interior and outside the premises, since this was the place regarded as the reference location. Using molecular methods, toxicogenic strains (aflatoxin-producing) were investigated within the group of species belonging to Aspergillus flavus complex. Eighteen poultry workers (59%) had detectable levels of AFB1 with values ranging from <1 ng/ml to4.23 ng/ml and with a mean value of 2 ± 0.98ng/ml. AFB1 was not detected in the serum sampled from any of the controls. Aspergillus flavus was the fungal species third most frequently found in the indoor air samples analyzed (7.2%) and was the most frequently isolated species in air samples containing only Aspergillus genus (74.5%). The presence of aflatoxigenic strains was only confirmed in outdoor air samples from one of the units, indicating the presence of a source inside the building in at least one case. Data indicate that AFB1 inhalation represents an additional risk in this occupational setting that needs to be recognized, assessed, and prevented.

Biological monitoring of aflatoxin (AFB1) in workers of swine and poultry production

Although a great body of literature exists concerning the ingestion of food contaminated with aflatoxin, there are still few studies regarding mycotoxin inhalation in occupational settings. Since mycotoxins are relatively non-volatile, inhalation exposure is cause by inhalation of airborne fungal particulates or fungi-contaminated substrates that contain aflatoxin. We intend to know if there is occupational exposure to aflatoxin in Portuguese poultry and swine production. A total of 19 individuals (11 swine; 8 poultry) agreed and provided blood samples during the course of this investigation. Measurement of AFB1 was performed by ELISA. The samples were treated with pronase (Merck), wash in a Column C18 and purification was made with immunoaffinity columns (R.biopharma), specific for AFB1. It was applied statistical test (Mann-Whitney) to verified statistical difference in AFB1 results between the two settings. Results varied with concentrations from dency for poultry workers have higher aflatoxin values, probably because poultry activities are promoter of particles exposure. Only women’s in both settings have results der a route of exposure in both settings.