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The aim of this study was to assess the potential occupational risk of working with Staphylococcus aureus-colonized pigs in Switzerland.
During the study it was estimated the airborne contamination by S. aureus in 37 pig farms (20 nursery and 17 fattening units; 25 in summer, 12 in winter). Quantification of total airborne bacterial DNA, airborne Staphylococcus sp. DNA, fungi, and airborne endotoxins was also performed.
In this experiment, the presence of cultivable airborne methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) CC398 in a pig farm in Switzerland was reported for the first time. Airborne methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) was found in ~30% of farms. The average airborne concentration of DNA copy number of total bacteria and Staphylococcus sp. measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction was very high, respectively reaching values of 75 (± 28) × 107 and 35 (± 9.8) × 105 copy numbers/m3 in summer and 96 (± 19) × 108 and 40 (± 12) × 106 copy numbers m–3 in winter. Total mean airborne concentrations of endotoxins (1298 units of endotoxin/m3) and fungi (5707 colony-forming units/m3) exceeded the Swiss recommended values and were higher in winter than in summer.
In conclusion, Swiss pig farmers will have to tackle a new emerging occupational risk, which could also have a strong impact on public health. The need to inform pig farmers about biological occupational risks is therefore crucial.
F.G. Masclaux, O. Sakwinska, N. Charrière, E. Semaani and A. Oppliger. Concentration of Airborne Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA), Total Bacteria, and Endotoxins in Pig Farms. Ann Occup Hyg (2013) doi: 10.1093/annhyg/mes098