More pneumonia near goat farms, bacteria possible explanation
Pneumonia occurs more frequently in people living in areas with many livestock farms. The extra risk of pneumonia is higher if people live within two thousand meters of a goat farm. Bacteria found in the barns of goat farms may explain these cases of pneumonia. The same bacteria were also found in the environment and/or in people living near the goat farms. This is evident from VGO-III, the latest study on Livestock Farming and Health of Local Residents.
It was already known that pneumonia occurs more frequently in areas with many livestock farms. This was shown in VGO-I and II. VGO-III confirms this. Especially residents near goat farms are at extra risk of pneumonia. This risk is greatest for people living closest.
VGO-III consisted of several sub-studies, which looked in different ways at which pathogens could be the cause of the pneumonias.
Various pathogens in barns, outdoor air, and people
More than thirty different bacteria that can cause pneumonia in humans were found in the barn air of goat farms. Of these bacteria, 23 were also found in patients, local residents, goat farmers, and/or in the outdoor air around goat farms.
No direct cause
It is difficult to prove that the bacteria from the goat barns are the direct cause of the cases of pneumonia in people living around goat farms. However, the 23 found bacteria are a possible explanation for the higher incidence of pneumonia. This is because they were found in the barn air, the environment around the barns, and/or in the examined people.
Manure and bedding
In the barns, VGO-III examined, among other things, manure, bedding, and air. It appears that many of the bacteria in the barn air come from a mixture of barn manure and bedding. The goats walk on this in the barn. All investigated farms and almost all goat farms in the Netherlands keep their goats in this way.
Reducing the number of pathogens in barn air
The recommendation is to see if the number of pathogens in the barn air and surrounding air can be reduced at goat farms. This way, people living nearby come into contact with fewer pathogens.
About the research
From VGO-I and II, it was found that people living in Noord-Brabant or Limburg in areas with many livestock farms have less asthma and allergy problems. However, pneumonia occurs more frequently in these areas, especially among people living near goat farms. VGO-III investigated whether this was also the case between 2014 and 2019. For this, the research area was temporarily expanded to include areas in the provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel.
VGO-III also investigated the cause of these cases of pneumonia. This was done in several sub-studies:
- VGO-III reviewed scientific literature to detemine which pathogens occur in goats and can cause pneumonia in humans.
- Then, various sub-studies looked at which pathogens were carried by patients, local residents, and goat farmers.
- Researchers took various samples in the barns of goat farms to see if pathogens were present. They also examined the outdoor air near homes around goat barns.
- Finally, VGO-III looked at whether the pathogens from the barn air were also found in the other sub-studies and what the possible source of the pathogens in the barn air was.
VGO-III is a collaboration between RIVM, Utrecht 木瓜福利影视, Wageningen 木瓜福利影视 & Research, and Nivel.