Background: Livestock-related emissions have been associated with aggravations of respiratory symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), potentially by altering the respiratory resistome.
Objectives: This study investigates the structure of the acquired oropharyngeal (OP) resistome of patients with COPD and controls, its interplay with the respiratory microbiome and associations with residential livestock exposure.
Methods: In a matched case-control study in the rural Netherlands, we analysed OP swabs from 35 patients with COPD and 34 controls, none of whom had used antibiotics in the preceding 4 weeks.
Adverse health effects have been linked with exposure to livestock farms, likely due to airborne microbial agents. Accurate exposure assessment is crucial in epidemiological studies, however limited studies have modelled bioaerosols. This study used measured concentrations in air of livestock commensals (Escherichia coli (E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis longitudinal study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 containment measures on perceived health, health protective behavior and risk perception, and investigate whether chronic disease status and urbanicity of the residential area modify these effects. Participants (n = 5420) were followed for up to 14 months (September 2020-October 2021) by monthly questionnaires. Chronic disease status was obtained at baseline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence on the public health relevance of exposure to livestock farm emissions is increasing. Research mostly focused on chemical air pollution, less on microbial exposure, while endotoxins are suggested relevant bacterial components in farm emissions. Acute respiratory health effects of short-term exposure to livestock-related air pollution has been shown for NH and PM, but has not yet been studied for endotoxin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough there is scientific evidence for an increased prevalence of sleep disorders during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is still limited information on how lifestyle factors might have affected sleep patterns. Therefore, we followed a large cohort of participants in the Netherlands (n = 5,420) for up to 1 year (September 2020-2021) via monthly Web-based questionnaires to identify lifestyle changes (physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, electronic device use, and social media use) driven by anti-COVID-19 measures and their potential associations with self-reported sleep (latency, duration, and quality). We used the Containment and Health Index (CHI) to assess the stringency of anti-COVID-19 measures and analyzed associations through multilevel ordinal response models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: SARS-CoV-2 is known to jump across species. The occurrence of transmission in households between humans and companion animals has been shown, but the contribution of companion animals to the overall transmission within a household is unknown. The basic reproduction number () is an important indicator to quantify transmission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Previous studies, performed between 2009-2019, in the Netherlands observed an until now still unexplained increased risk for pneumonia among residents living close to goat farms. Since data were collected in the provinces Noord-Brabant and Limburg (NB-L), an area with relatively high air pollution levels and proximity to large industrial areas in Europe, the question remains whether the results are generalizable to other regions. In this study, a different region, covering the provinces Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel (UGO) with a similar density of goat farms, was included to assess whether the association between goat farm proximity and pneumonia is consistently observed across the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed to assess SARS-CoV-2 contamination of air and surfaces to gain insight into potential occupational exposure in a large meat processing plant experiencing COVID-19 clusters. Methods: Oro-nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 screening was performed in 76 workers. Environmental samples ( n = 275) including air, ventilation systems, sewage, and swabs of high-touch surfaces and workers' hands were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a growing interest in the impact of air pollution from livestock farming on respiratory health. Studies in adults suggest adverse effects of livestock farm emissions on lung function, but so far, studies involving children and adolescents are lacking.
Objectives: To study the association of residential proximity to livestock farms and modelled particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM) from livestock farms with lung function in adolescence.
Farm animals may harbor viral pathogens, some with zoonotic potential which can possibly cause severe clinical outcomes in animals and humans. Documenting the viral content of dust may provide information on the potential sources and movement of viruses. Here, we describe a dust sequencing strategy that provides detailed viral sequence characterization from farm dust samples and use this method to document the virus communities from chicken farm dust samples and paired feces collected from the same broiler farms in the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral domestic and wild animal species are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Reported (sero)prevalence in dogs and cats vary largely depending on the target population, test characteristics, geographical location and time period. This research assessed the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-positive cats and dogs (PCR- and/or antibody positive) in two different populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAir pollution from livestock farms is known to affect respiratory health of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The mechanisms behind this relationship, however, remain poorly understood. We hypothesise that air pollutants could influence respiratory health through modulation of the airway microbiome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSARS-CoV-2 outbreaks on 69 Dutch mink farms in 2020 were studied to identify risk factors for virus introduction and transmission and to improve surveillance and containment measures. Clinical signs, laboratory test results, and epidemiological aspects were investigated, such as the date and reason of suspicion, housing, farm size and distances, human contact structure, biosecurity measures, and presence of wildlife, pets, pests, and manure management. On seven farms, extensive random sampling was performed, and age, coat color, sex, and clinical signs were recorded.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Unprecedented SARS-CoV-2 infections in farmed minks raised immediate concerns regarding transmission to humans and initiated intensive environmental investigations to assess occupational and environmental exposure.
Methods: Air sampling was performed at infected Dutch mink farms, at farm premises and at nearby residential sites. A range of other environmental samples were collected from minks' housing units, including bedding materials.
Transbound Emerg Dis
September 2022
Animals like mink, cats and dogs are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the Netherlands, 69 out of 127 mink farms were infected with SARS-CoV-2 between April and November 2020 and all mink on infected farms were culled after SARS-CoV-2 infection to prevent further spread of the virus. On some farms, (feral) cats and dogs were present.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Resour Announc
February 2021
We report the genome sequence of a strain identified from a fecal sample from a farmed mink () in The Netherlands that was tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using real-time PCR (RT-PCR). The viral genome sequence was obtained using agnostic deep sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Resour Announc
November 2020
Background: Living in livestock-dense areas has been associated with health effects, suggesting airborne exposures to livestock farm emissions to be relevant for public health. Livestock farm emissions involve complex mixtures of various gases and particles. Endotoxin, a pro-inflammatory agent of microbial origin, is a constituent of livestock farm emitted particulate matter (PM) that is potentially related to the observed health effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobial air pollution from livestock farms has raised concerns regarding public health. Little is known about airborne livestock-related microbial levels in residential areas. We aimed to increase insights into this issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZoonoses Public Health
February 2019
From 2007 through 2010, the Netherlands experienced the largest Q fever epidemic ever reported. This study integrates the outcomes of a multidisciplinary research programme on spatial airborne transmission of Coxiella burnetii and reflects these outcomes in relation to other scientific Q fever studies worldwide. We have identified lessons learned and remaining knowledge gaps.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Results from studies on residential health effects of livestock farming are inconsistent, potentially due to simple exposure proxies used (e.g., livestock density).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral studies have reported associations between farming and respiratory health in neighboring residents. Health effects are possibly linked to fine dust and endotoxin emissions from livestock farms. Little is known about levels of these air pollutants in ambient air in livestock dense areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the largest Q fever outbreaks ever occurred in the Netherlands from 2007-2010, with 25 fatalities among 4,026 notified cases. Airborne dispersion of Coxiella burnetii was suspected but not studied extensively at the time. We investigated temporal and spatial variation of Coxiella burnetii in ambient air at residential locations in the most affected area in the Netherlands (the South-East), in the year immediately following the outbreak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Q fever is an occupational risk for veterinarians, however little is known about the risk for veterinary medicine students. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii among veterinary medicine students and to identify associated risk factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with questionnaire and blood sample collection was performed among all veterinary medicine students studying in The Netherlands in 2006.