Publications by authors named "Dothula Baron"
Swine farming has gone through many changes in the last few decades, resulting in operations with a high animal density known as confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These operations produce a large quantity of fecal waste whose environmental impacts are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate microbial water quality in surface waters proximal to swine CAFOs including microbial source tracking of fecal microbes specific to swine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental justice (EJ) research requires attention to consequences for research participants beyond those typically considered by institutional review boards. The imbalance of power between impacted communities and those who create and regulate pollution creates challenges for participation, yet research can also benefit those involved. Our community-academic partnership designed the Rural Air Pollutants and Children's Health (RAPCH) study to provide positive impacts while measuring health effects at three low-resource public middle schools near concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in North Carolina.
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- The study investigates the prevalence and characteristics of S. aureus, particularly drug-resistant strains like MRSA, among workers and household members associated with livestock that are either given antibiotics (ILO) or raised without them (AFLO) in North Carolina.
- Results showed that while nasal carriage rates of S. aureus and MRSA were similar in both ILO and AFLO groups, multidrug-resistant S. aureus was significantly higher in the ILO group, indicating a possible connection between antibiotic use in livestock and the presence of more resistant pathogens.
- The study highlights concerns about antibiotic use in industrial livestock operations, revealing the emergence of specific strains, like CC398, which were linked exclusively to ILO workers, thus emphasizing potential public