Food animal transport: A potential source of community exposures to health hazards from industrial farming (CAFOs)

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Summary

Use of antimicrobial feed additives in food animal production is associated with selection for drug resistance in bacterial pathogens, which can then be released into the environment through occupational exposures, high volume ventilation of animal houses, and land application of animal wastes. We tested the hypothesis that current methods of transporting food animals from farms to slaughterhouses may result in pathogen releases and potential exposures of persons in vehicles traveling on the same road. Air and surface samples were taken from cars driving behind poultry trucks for 17 miles. Air conditioners and fans were turned off and windows fully opened. Background and blank samples were used for quality control. Samples were analyzed for susceptible and drug-resistant strains. Results indicate an increase in the number of total aerobic bacteria including both susceptible and drug-resistant enterococci isolated from air and surface samples, and suggest that food animal transport in open crates introduces a novel route of exposure to harmful microorganisms and may disseminate these pathogens into the general environment. These findings support the need for further exposure characterization, and attention to improving methods of food animal transport, especially in highly trafficked regions of high density farming such as the Delmarva Peninsula.

Abbreviations

IFAP
industrial food animal production
CAFO
concentrated (or confined) animal feeding operation
ARB
antimicrobial-resistant bacteria
PTV
poultry transport vehicles
AHB
aerobic heterotrophic bacteria
PBS
phosphate buffered saline
LOD
limit of detection
cfu
colony forming units

Keywords

Antimicrobial resistance
CAFO
Bioaerosol
Food animal transport
Air sampling
Surface sampling

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