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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2001, p. 155-161, Vol. 67, No. 1
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.1.155-161.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Exposure of Workers to Airborne Microorganisms in Open-Air Swine Houses

C. W. Chang,^1,* H. Chung,^1, C. F. Huang,² and H. J. J. Su²

Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan, Taipei,¹ and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan,² Taiwan, Republic of China

Received 14 July 2000/Accepted 11 October 2000

This study quantified the levels of airborne microorganisms in six swine farms with more than 10,000 pigs in subtropical Taiwan. We evaluated breeding, growing, and finishing stalls, which were primarily open-air buildings, as well as partially enclosed farrowing and nursery piggeries. Airborne culturable bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and fungi were placed on appropriate media by using an all-glass impinger or single-stage Andersen microbial sampler. Results showed that mean concentrations of culturable bacteria and gram-negative bacteria were 3.3 × 10⁵ and 143.7 CFU/m³, respectively. The concentration of airborne culturable fungi was about 10³ CFU/m³, with Cladosporium the predominant genus. The highest airborne levels of culturable bacteria and gram-negative bacteria were identified in the finishing units. The air of the nursery stalls was the least contaminated with culturable and gram-negative bacteria. Irregular and infrequent cleaning, high pig density, no separation of wastes from pen floors, and accumulation of water as a result of the processes for cleaning and reducing pig temperature possibly compromise the benefits of the open characteristic of the finishing units with respect to airborne bacterial concentration.

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^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 4th floor, 132 Min-Sheng E. Rd., Taipei 105, Taiwan, Republic of China. Phone: 886-2-87701567. Fax: 886-2-25451048. E-mail: cwchang{at}mail.cla.gov.tw.

Present address: 3M Taiwan, Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2001, p. 155-161, Vol. 67, No. 1
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.1.155-161.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

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