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Gigot C, Lowman A, Ceryes CA, Hall DJ, Heaney CD. Industrial Hog Operation Workers' Perspectives on Occupational Exposure to Zoonotic Pathogens: A Qualitative Pilot Study in North Carolina, USA. New Solut 2024; 33:209-219. [PMID: 38062664 DOI: 10.1177/10482911231217055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Industrial hog operation (IHO) workers face a range of occupational hazards, including exposure to zoonotic pathogens such as livestock-associated antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and swine-origin influenza viruses with epidemic or pandemic potential. To better understand this population's occupational exposure to zoonotic pathogens, we conducted a community-driven qualitative research study in eastern North Carolina. We completed in-depth interviews with ten IHO workers and used thematic analysis to identify and analyze patterns of responses. Workers described direct and indirect occupational contact with hogs, with accompanying potential for dermal, ingestion, and inhalation exposures to zoonotic pathogens. Workers also described potential take-home pathways, wherein they could transfer livestock-associated pathogens and other contaminants from IHOs to their families and communities. Findings warrant future research, and suggest that more restrictive policies on antimicrobials, stronger health and safety regulations, and better policies and practices across all IHOs could afford greater protection against worker and take-home zoonotic pathogen exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Gigot
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Amy Lowman
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Caitlin A Ceryes
- Department of Health Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA
| | - Devon J Hall
- Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Warsaw, NC, USA
| | - Christopher D Heaney
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Community Science and Innovation for Environmental Justice Initiative, Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MA, USA
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Gigot C, Pisanic N, Kruczynski K, Gregory Rivera M, Spicer K, Kurowski KM, Randad P, Koehler K, Clarke WA, Holmes P, Hall DJ, Hall DJ, Heaney CD. SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Prevalence among Industrial Livestock Operation Workers and Nearby Community Residents, North Carolina, 2021 to 2022. mSphere 2023; 8:e0052222. [PMID: 36656002 PMCID: PMC9942583 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00522-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Industrial livestock operations (ILOs), particularly processing facilities, emerged as centers of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks in spring 2020. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 underestimate true prevalence. To investigate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, we enrolled 279 participants in North Carolina from February 2021 to July 2022: 90 from households with at least one ILO worker (ILO), 97 from high-ILO intensity areas (ILO neighbors [ILON]), and 92 from metropolitan areas (metro). More metro (55.4%) compared to ILO (51.6%) and ILON participants (48.4%) completed the COVID-19 primary vaccination series; the median completion date was more than 4 months later for ILO compared to ILON and metro participants, although neither difference was statistically significant. Participants provided a saliva swab we analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 IgG using a multiplex immunoassay. The prevalence of infection-induced IgG (positive for nucleocapsid and receptor binding domain) was higher among ILO (63%) than ILON (42.9%) and metro (48.7%) participants (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.80; reference category ILON and metro combined). The prevalence of infection-induced IgG was also higher among ILO participants than among an Atlanta health care worker cohort (PR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.80 to 3.33) and a general population cohort in North Carolina (PRs, 6.37 to 10.67). The infection-induced IgG prevalence increased over the study period. Participants reporting not masking in public in the past 2 weeks had higher infection-induced IgG prevalence (78.6%) than participants reporting masking (49.3%) (PR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.19 to 2.13). Lower education, more people per bedroom, Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and more contact with people outside the home were also associated with higher infection-induced IgG prevalence. IMPORTANCE Few studies have measured COVID-19 seroprevalence in North Carolina, especially among rural, Black, and Hispanic/Latino communities that have been heavily affected. Antibody results show high rates of COVID-19 among industrial livestock operation workers and their household members. Antibody results add to evidence of health disparities related to COVID-19 by socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Associations between masking and physical distancing with antibody results also add to evidence of the effectiveness of these prevention strategies. Delays in the timing of receipt of COVID-19 vaccination reinforce the importance of dismantling vaccination barriers, especially for industrial livestock operation workers and their household members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Gigot
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Nora Pisanic
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kate Kruczynski
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Magdielis Gregory Rivera
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kristoffer Spicer
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Kurowski
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Pranay Randad
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kirsten Koehler
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - William A. Clarke
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Phyla Holmes
- Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Warsaw, North Carolina, USA
| | - D. J. Hall
- Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Warsaw, North Carolina, USA
| | - Devon J. Hall
- Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Warsaw, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christopher D. Heaney
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Riley S. A Sufficient Level of Repugnance. Anim Welf 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-85870-4_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Randad PR, Larsen J, Kaya H, Pisanic N, Ordak C, Price LB, Aziz M, Nadimpalli ML, Rhodes S, Stewart JR, Love DC, Mohr D, Davis MF, Miller LS, Hall D, Carroll KC, Perl TM, Heaney CD. Transmission of Antimicrobial-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clonal Complex 9 between Pigs and Humans, United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 27:740-748. [PMID: 33622471 PMCID: PMC7920674 DOI: 10.3201/eid2703.191775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmission of livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 9 (LA-SA CC9) between pigs raised on industrial hog operations (IHOs) and humans in the United States is poorly understood. We analyzed whole-genome sequences from 32 international S. aureus CC9 isolates and 49 LA-SA CC9 isolates from IHO pigs and humans who work on or live near IHOs in 10 pig-producing counties in North Carolina, USA. Bioinformatic analysis of sequence data from the 81 isolates demonstrated 3 major LA-SA CC9 clades. North Carolina isolates all fell within a single clade (C3). High-resolution phylogenetic analysis of C3 revealed 2 subclades of intermingled IHO pig and human isolates differing by 0–34 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Our findings suggest that LA-SA CC9 from pigs and humans share a common source and provide evidence of transmission of antimicrobial-resistant LA-SA CC9 between IHO pigs and humans who work on or live near IHOs in North Carolina.
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Kristiansen S, Painter J, Shea M. Animal Agriculture and Climate Change in the US and UK Elite Media: Volume, Responsibilities, Causes and Solutions. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION 2020; 15:153-172. [PMID: 33688373 PMCID: PMC7929601 DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2020.1805344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Animal agriculture is a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 14.5% of global emissions, which is approximately the same size as the transportation sector. Global meat consumption is projected to grow, which will increase animal agriculture's negative impact on the environment. Public awareness of the link between animal food consumption and climate change is low; this may be one of many obstacles to more effective interventions to reduce meat consumption in Western diets, which has been proposed by many research institutions. This study analyzes how much attention the UK and US elite media paid to animal agriculture's role in climate change, and the roles and responsibilities of various parties in addressing the problem, from 2006 to 2018. The results of the quantitative media content analysis show that during that period, volume of coverage remained low, and that when the issue was covered, consumer responsibility was mentioned more than that of governments or largescale livestock farms. In similar fashion, a range of options around personal dietary change was far more prominent in the media discussion of solutions than government policies, reforming agricultural practices or holding major animal food companies accountable for their emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silje Kristiansen
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - James Painter
- Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Meghan Shea
- Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Lam Y, Fry JP, Nachman KE. Applying an environmental public health lens to the industrialization of food animal production in ten low- and middle-income countries. Global Health 2019; 15:40. [PMID: 31196114 PMCID: PMC6567672 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-019-0479-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Industrial food animal production (IFAP) is characterized by dense animal housing, high throughput, specialization, vertical integration, and corporate consolidation. Research in high-income countries has documented impacts on public health, the environment, and animal welfare. IFAP is proliferating in some low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where increased consumption of animal-source foods has occurred alongside rising incomes and efforts to address undernutrition. However, in these countries IFAP’s negative externalities could be amplified by inadequate infrastructure and resources to document issues and implement controls. Methods Using UN FAOSTAT data, we selected ten LMICs where food animal production is expanding and assessed patterns of IFAP growth. We conducted a mixed methods review to explore factors affecting growth, evidence of impacts, and information gaps; we searched several databases for sources in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Data were extracted from 450+ sources, comprising peer-reviewed literature, government documents, NGO reports, and news articles. Results In the selected LMICs, not only has livestock production increased, but the nature of expansion appears to have involved industrialized methods, to varying extents based on species and location. Expansion was promoted in some countries by explicit government policies. Animal densities, corporate structure, and pharmaceutical reliance in some areas mirrored conditions found in high-income countries. There were many reported weaknesses in regulation and capacity for enforcement surrounding production and animal welfare. Global trade increasingly influences movement of and access to inputs such as feed. There was a nascent, compelling body of scientific literature documenting IFAP’s negative environmental and public health externalities in some countries. Conclusions LMICs may be attracted to IFAP for economic development and food security, as well as the potential for increasing access to animal-source foods and the role these foods can play in alleviating undernutrition. IFAP, however, is resource intensive. Industrialized production methods likely result in serious negative public health, environmental, and animal welfare impacts in LMICs. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic effort to assess IFAP trends through an environmental public health lens for a relatively large group of LMICs. It contributes to the literature by outlining urgent research priorities aimed at informing national and international decisions about the future of food animal production and efforts to tackle global undernutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukyan Lam
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 840, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA
| | - Jillian P Fry
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 840, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA.,Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.,Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Keeve E Nachman
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 840, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA. .,Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. .,Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. .,Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., W7007, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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