Agriculture (May 2024)

Dust and Bacterial Air Contamination in a Broiler House in Summer and Winter

  • Ivica Ravić,
  • Mario Ostović,
  • Anamaria Ekert Kabalin,
  • Matija Kovačić,
  • Kristina Matković,
  • Željko Gottstein,
  • Danijela Horvatek Tomić

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14050778
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 5
p. 778

Abstract

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This study aimed to investigate dust and bacterial air contamination in a broiler house during different seasons. The study was carried out in commercial housing conditions during five weeks of the rearing cycle in summer and winter. The total dust concentration ranged from 1.90 to 4.50 mg/m3 in summer and from 2.80 to 5.10 mg/m3 in winter. The total bacterial count ranged from 2.85 × 104 to 1.03 × 105 CFU/m3 in summer and from 2.12 × 104 to 2.28 × 105 CFU/m3 in winter. The study results showed the dust concentration to be increased in winter as compared to summer, yielding a significant correlation (r = 0.602, p p p p < 0.05) with air temperature (r = −0.756), relative humidity (r = 0.831), and airflow rate (r = 0.511). The results obtained in the study can prove useful in the field. Seasonal variability in dust and bacterial air contamination should be considered in the development of guidelines or standards of air quality in broiler housing and evaluation of the effectiveness of remedial strategies.

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