Project
Title
Bioaerosol occurrence and transmission of antimicrobial resistances in pig husbandry
Acronym
AirBarn
Start
01.10.2024
End
30.09.2025
Coordinating Institute
Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB)
Coordinator
Partner
Robert Koch-Institut
Allocated to research program
Summary
The AirBarn project aims to analyse aerosols in and from animal stalls as a potential source of danger for airborne pathogens. The scientific study is taking place as part of the Leibniz research network INFECTIONS, which is looking at the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in natural, agricultural and urban habitats, among other topics. Particulate matter that contains biologically active components is known as bioaerosol. Bioaerosols may contain pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms that potentially transmit airborne infectious and zoonotic diseases. The resistance of aerosolised pathogens depends on particle properties such as the size and mass density of the pathogen and its resistance to environmental factors. It is known that the use of antibiotics in agriculture often results in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the extent to which environmental influences can change the composition of the bacteria in the air and where risks arise for humans in the barn, but also in the surrounding area, is still an open research question. The AirBarn project aims to measure the size and density of fine dust particles in pig barns and to investigate the contamination of dust particles with pathogenic microorganisms and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance. The research methods used for this purpose include microscopy, bacterial cultivation and next generation sequencing.
Funding
Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
Funding agency
Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
Funding framework
Bewilligung von Mitteln im Rahmen des Leibniz Forschungsverbunds INFECTIONS in an Urbanizing World Humans, Animals, Environments