Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 Jun 8. [Epub ahead of print]
LA-MRSA contamination of air and soil surfaces in the vicinity of pig barns: A longitudinal study.
Abstract
During one year, samples were taken on four days, one in each season, from pigs, the floor, and the air inside of pig barns and from the ambient air and soil at different distances outside of six commercial LA-MRSA positive pig barns in the north of Germany.
LA-MRSA was isolated from animals, floor and air samples in the barn showing a range of airborne LA-MRSA between 6 and 3619 cfu/m(3) (median 151 cfu/m(3)).
Downwind the barns LA-MRSA was detected in low concentrations (11 to 14 cfu/m(3)) at distances of 50 m and of 150 m, all upwind air samples were negative. In contrast, LA-MRSA was found on soil surfaces at distances of 50, 150 and 300 m downwind from all barns, but no statistical differences could be observed between the proportions of positive soil surface samples at the three different distances.
Upwind the barns positive soil surface samples were found sporadically only.
Significantly more positive LA-MRSA samples were found in summer time than in the other seasons both in air and soil samples upwind and downwind of the pig barns.
Spa typing was used to confirm identity of LA-MRSA types found inside and outside the barns. The results show that there is regular airborne LA-MRSA transmission and deposition up to at least 300 m around positive pig barns which is strongly influenced by wind direction and season. The described boot sampling method seems suitable to characterise the contamination of the vicinity of LA-MRSA positive pig barns by the airborne route.
PubMed
Another study says: MRSA prevalences in pigs as well as in various environmental samples were significantly higher in fattening farms than in breeding farms.
Occurrence of MRSA in air and housing environment of pig barns.
.
LA-MRSA contamination of air and soil surfaces in the vicinity of pig barns: A longitudinal study.
Abstract
During one year, samples were taken on four days, one in each season, from pigs, the floor, and the air inside of pig barns and from the ambient air and soil at different distances outside of six commercial LA-MRSA positive pig barns in the north of Germany.
LA-MRSA was isolated from animals, floor and air samples in the barn showing a range of airborne LA-MRSA between 6 and 3619 cfu/m(3) (median 151 cfu/m(3)).
Downwind the barns LA-MRSA was detected in low concentrations (11 to 14 cfu/m(3)) at distances of 50 m and of 150 m, all upwind air samples were negative. In contrast, LA-MRSA was found on soil surfaces at distances of 50, 150 and 300 m downwind from all barns, but no statistical differences could be observed between the proportions of positive soil surface samples at the three different distances.
Upwind the barns positive soil surface samples were found sporadically only.
Significantly more positive LA-MRSA samples were found in summer time than in the other seasons both in air and soil samples upwind and downwind of the pig barns.
Spa typing was used to confirm identity of LA-MRSA types found inside and outside the barns. The results show that there is regular airborne LA-MRSA transmission and deposition up to at least 300 m around positive pig barns which is strongly influenced by wind direction and season. The described boot sampling method seems suitable to characterise the contamination of the vicinity of LA-MRSA positive pig barns by the airborne route.
PubMed
Another study says: MRSA prevalences in pigs as well as in various environmental samples were significantly higher in fattening farms than in breeding farms.
Occurrence of MRSA in air and housing environment of pig barns.
.