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 < 0.05) with a significantly higher airborne bacterial count in winter (p < 0.001). Furthermore, dust concentration showed significant correlations (p < 0.05) with air temperature (r = −0.418), relative humidity (r = 0.673), and broiler activity (r = 0.709), while bacterial count yielded significant correlations (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.
This study aimed to compare fungal contamination of poultry litter between warm and cold seasons. It was carried out in commercial production conditions over two five-week fattening periods: one in ...the summer (July-August) and one in the winter (December-January). Broilers were reared on a litter composed of chopped straw and sawdust. Litter fungal concentration and composition were investigated weekly, along with litter temperature, moisture, and pH. Litter concentration of total fungi increased over both fattening periods, with no differences in median concentrations between them. Season also had no effect on yeast,
section
, and
,
, and
spp. concentrations, while the
section
and
spp. combined showed higher concentrations in the summer, and
and
spp. in the winter. Total fungal concentration highly correlated with litter temperature, moisture, and pH, regardless of the season. Our findings can be useful in the assessment and control of potential harmful effect of fungi on the health of poultry and poultry farm workers.
The effects of environmental enrichment were assessed at different stocking densities on fattening cattle welfare. The study included four groups of heifers observed during four-month final ...commercial fattening. The heifers were housed in non-enriched and enriched environments at low (n = 14; 4.5 m2/animal) and high (n = 19; 3.3 m2/animal) stocking density. Environmental enrichment consisted of a grooming brush and salt blocks. Heifer welfare was assessed using selected indicators from the Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for cattle. The study results showed that the heifers housed at high stocking density used environmental enrichment materials significantly more frequently as compared with heifers housed at low stocking density (P<0.05), whereas there was no difference in their use of particular enrichment materials. The effect of environmental enrichment on heifer welfare was mainly manifested in a reduction in the expression of some forms of aggressive behaviour; therefore, this finding should encourage the use of enrichment materials such as those presented in this study which are commercially available, relatively inexpensive and simple to use.
This survey was the first one investigating opinions of veterinary students in Croatia towards companion animals and their welfare, with special reference to dogs and cats as the most popular ...companion animals in the European Union. The study included students of all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate veterinary medicine study programme in Croatia. First-year students were surveyed twice, before and after having attended the course on animal welfare. Student opinions were assessed on the basis of their mean responses to five-point Likert scale questions and frequency of responses to Yes/No/I do not know questions and ratio scale questions. Study results revealed students to have strongly positive opinions towards companion animals and their welfare. The majority of student statements did not differ significantly between the first and sixth study years or before and after having attended the animal welfare course in the first study year, mostly yielding a straight, non-fluctuating line. Students were not sure whether welfare of companion dogs and cats was compromised. Study results pointed to reliable and reasonable opinions of veterinary medicine students in Croatia towards companion animals and their welfare, as well as to the welfare issues these species may be facing nowadays.
Research into the veterinary perception of animal welfare is becoming ever more relevant. Following previous studies on Croatian veterinary students? attitudes and opinions towards farm animal and ...pet welfare, the present study assessed their attitudes towards sheep and goat welfare, focusing on the year of veterinary medicine study and area of student residence. The questionnaire survey involved students of all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate study programme at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. First-year students filled out the questionnaire twice, before and after having attended the animal welfare subject. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. The first section included questions on student demographic and experiential characteristics, whereas the second section asked them to define the level of cognition, sentience and welfare compromise in sheep and goats through five-point Likert scale questions. Study results revealed that students agreed that sheep and goats have cognitive abilities and feelings, but they neither agreed nor disagreed about their welfare compromise. There was no significant difference in student responses according to years of study or between first-year student responses before and after having attended the animal welfare subject or according to areas of student residence. These results could suggest poor student interaction with small ruminants and, therefore, help expand the respective curriculum.
Mačke su među najbrojnijim kućnim ljubimcima Zapadnog svijeta. Kao kućni ljubimci ovise o vlasniku i često su izložene stresnim podražajima zbog neznanja i neinformiranosti o njihovim vrsno/pasminsko ...specifičnim potrebama.
U ovom radu sažeti su najčešći i najistaknutiji čimbenici i problemi dobrobiti mačaka – kućnih ljubimaca. Glavni uzroci narušene dobrobiti najčešće su neprikladni smještaj i hranidba, uz nemogućnost izražavanja vrsno karakterističnog ponašanja. Takvi uvjeti mogu rezultirati bolestima, poremećajima u ponašanju ili pak neželjenim ponašanjima. Zato bi se vlasnici prije nabavke mačke trebali informirati o njezinim potrebama kako bi joj osigurali dobro fizičko i mentalno zdravlje.
Cats are among the most numerous pet animals in the Western world. As pets, they depend on their owners and often are exposed to stressful stimuli due to the lack of knowledge and information about their species/breed-specific needs. This paper summarizes the most common and prominent factors and issues of pet cat welfare. The main causes of poor cat welfare mostly are inadequate accommodation and nutrition along with the inability to express species-specific behaviour. Such conditions can result in occurrence of diseases, behavioural disorders, or unwanted behaviours. Therefore, owners should be informed about their cat's needs before purchasing to ensure good physical and mental health of their cat.
This study aimed to identify the opinions and knowledge of Croatian veterinarians-to-be relating to exotic pet birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, and their welfare. A total of 589 (87%) veterinary ...students from all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate study programme were surveyed in the 2019-2020 academic year. Student opinions and knowledge were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale and the following statements: the level of cognition, sentience and welfare compromise in pet animals observed; the importance of biological functioning, emotional states and natural living for their welfare; their acceptability as pets and owner awareness; the level of risk posed by these pet animals to other animals, public health and safety, and the environment; and the level of knowledge students considered themselves to have about their feeding, housing, health and behaviour. Students provided neutral responses to or disagreement with most of the statements, in particular for animals other than birds, with no significant differences between study years. Accordingly, the study results point to the need for additional student education on exotic non-mammal pets, and can serve for the upgrading of the veterinary curriculum in the field, having implications not only for the welfare of these animals but also for other animals, public health and safety, and environmental protection.
OBJECTIVE:The noninvasive biomarkers of respiratory impairment were assessed in 15 swine confinement (SC) workers and 9 respiratory healthy, nonsmoking volunteers (HV).
METHODS:Spirometry, fraction ...of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH were assessed in SC workers after one working shift and one working week and in HV after 5-hour exposure in SC.
RESULTS:Half of the respiratory symptoms (in 8 of 15 SC workers) were work-related. Basal FeNO values were 7.5 ppb higher in the SC workers compared with HV. In the SC workers, EBC pH increased for 0.17 at the end of a working week (P < 0.001). In HV, 5-hour exposure in SC induced 8% drop in forced expiratory flow at 25% of the pulmonary volume (FEF25) (P = 0.008), EBC pH drop for 0.10 units (P = 0.003), and FeNO drop by 1.8 ppb (P = 0.047).
CONCLUSIONS:EBC pH was suggested as a biomarker of acute airway acidification in HV, whereas the SC workers showed signs of the “healthy worker effect.”
Purpose
The aim of the study was to evaluate exposure to moulds and house dust mite
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus
in poultry farms, and related health effects in poultry workers (PW).
Methods
The ...study involved 41 PW and 45 control office workers. Working environment was evaluated for
D. pteronyssinus
allergen (Der p 1), moulds and endotoxin. In workers, eye, skin and respiratory symptoms, ventilatory lung function, atopy markers (skin prick test to inhalatory allergens, total IgE) and specific IgG to moulds were assessed.
Results
Der p 1 levels ranged <0.1–3.3 μg/g, exposure to fungi was 4.9 × 10
3
–6.8 × 10
4
cfu/m
3
, with prevailing
Aspergillus
,
Penicillium
and
Mucor
species, and endotoxin levels ranged 230–284 EU/m
3
. In comparison to control subjects, significantly higher prevalence of work-related nose, asthma, eye and skin symptoms, and slight decline in ventilatory lung function was found in PW. PW had significantly higher prevalence of IgG antibodies to moulds comparing to controls (63 vs. 36%, respectively,
P
= 0.01), especially to
Alternaria
and
Aspergillus
species. The prevalence of atopy markers in PW was lower than in population-based studies.
Conclusions
Hazardous levels of Der p 1, endotoxin and moulds were determined in poultry houses. High prevalence of work-related symptoms and IgG antibodies to moulds was found in PW. Healthy worker effect is proposed as an explanation of low atopy markers prevalence among PW.
Rubber mats have not yet been widely established in pig production. However, studies mostly focusing on lesions, lameness and behaviours of lactating and group-housed pregnant sows have reported ...favourable results. To the best of our knowledge, lesions and lameness in sows or gilts housed individually in rubber floor gestation stalls have not been previously investigated. This study was carried out on a commercial pigbreeding farm service unit during a 28-day production cycle in all seasons. Twentyeight gilts were divided into two equal groups, control and experimental groups, and observed for each cycle. The control group was housed in standard gestation stalls with concrete slatted floor, which in the experimental group was covered with an adjusted rubber mat. During each cycle, lesions were scored on days 1, 8, 15 and 28, and lameness on day 1 and upon gilt transfer from the service unit on day 29. Gilts in rubber floor stalls showed significant reduction (P<0.05) in lesions during the cooler period. Conversely, mats had no impact on lameness score in any season. No significant correlations were found between lesions and the percentage of gilts with a particular lameness score. Accordingly, rubber flooring may improve the welfare of gilts in gestation stalls through lower lesion incidence; however, ambient temperature should be taken into consideration when available.
Gumene podne obloge u svinjogojskoj proizvodnji nemaju još primjenu u praksi. Međutim, istraživanja koja su se uglavnom odnosila na ozljede, hromost i ponašanje dojnih i skupno držanih gravidnih krmača polučila su pozitivne rezultate. Prema našim saznanjima, nisu provedena istraživanja pojavnosti ozljeda i hromosti u krmača ili nazimica koje su tijekom gravidnosti držane pojedinačno, u odjeljcima s gumenom podnom oblogom. Ovo istraživanje provedeno je u pripustilištu komercijalne svinjogojske farme tijekom 28-dnevnog proizvodnog ciklusa u svim godišnjim dobima. Svaki ciklus obuhvatio je 28 nazimica podijeljenih u dvije jednake skupine, kontrolnu i pokusnu. Nazimice kontrolne skupine bile su u standardnim odjeljcima za pojedinačno držanje tijekom gravidnosti, s betonskim rešetkastim podom, koji je u pokusnoj skupini nazimica bio prekriven prilagođenom gumenom podnom oblogom. Ozljede su se procjenjivale 1., 8., 15. i 28. dana svakog ciklusa, a hromost 1. dana pojedinog ciklusa i prilikom premještanja nazimica iz pripustilišta (29. dan). U nazimica pokusne skupine utvrđeno je značajno manje (P<0,05) ozljeda u hladnijem razdoblju, dok obloge nisu imale utjecaja na hromost nazimica ni u jednom godišnjem dobu. Nisu ustvrđene značajne povezanosti između ozljeda i udjela nazimica s određenim stupnjem hromosti. Može se zaključiti da gumene podne obloge poboljšavaju dobrobit nazimica držanih u pojedinačnim odjeljcima tijekom gravidnosti, kroz manju učestalost ozljeda; međutim, pri njihovoj primjeni trebaju se uzeti u obzir ambijentalne temperature.
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