An Assessment of Occupational Exposure to Gram-Negative Organisms in an Urban Poultry Slaughter and Processing Plant in Columbia, SC, USA.

gram-negative organisms;poultry slaughter / processing;antimicrobial resistance;Epidemiology

Leahy, KimberlyZelaya, Carla ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: gram-negative organisms;    poultry slaughter / processing;    antimicrobial resistance;    Epidemiology;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/38139/LEAHY-THESIS-2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Background: Poultry slaughter / processing plants process large numbers of birds from multiple industrial feeding operations, where the birds are raised in crowded, confined conditions and commonly fed sub-therapeutic doses of antimicrobials. As plant workers are in close contact with large numbers of live birds and fresh carcasses, these environments are conducive to the transfer of bacteria, including antimicrobial resistant bacteria, from the animals to the workers. Due to the increasing frequency of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, better understanding of the sources of human exposure to these organisms is needed.Objectives: Using job duties as a surrogate for contact with broilers, this analysis assesses the association between occupational contact with broilers and nasal carriage of gram-negative organisms (GNOs) in workers at a chicken slaughter and processing plant. The occupational contact with broilers could be direct or via bioaerosols. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolates from the most frequently detected genera are also qualitatively explored.Methods: The data analyzed is a subset of data from a cross-sectional exploratory study of poultry slaughter / processing plant workers in Columbia, South Carolina. Questionnaire data and nasal swabs were collected from participants. Nasal swabs were tested for S.aureus and GNOs; isolates were screened for antimicrobial susceptibility. For the analysis, participants were categorized based on job duties, as reported through the questionnaire. The association between job categories and nasal GNO carriage was analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: Out of the 90 participants analyzed, thirty-six (40%) were positive for nasal GNOs. Nearly a third (9/29) of the tested isolates displayed antimicrobial non-susceptibility. Compared to participants with intermittent or infrequent poultry contact – namely those with office, shipping, or packing duties –the adjusted odds ratio of GNO carriage was 6.29 times (95% CI: 1.43, 27.71) and 5.90 times (95% CI: 0.94, 37.50) higher, respectively, in participants with the most frequent poultry contact and workers conducting maintenance/cleaning.Conclusions: These findings suggest that poultry slaughter / processing plant workers in frequent contact with live poultry and/or carcasses and those conducting cleanup and maintenance are likely at increased risk of exposure to GNOs, including antibiotic resistant GNOs, as compared to workers with less frequent or no poultry contact.