| Summary: | Background – Although there is an increasing industry that produces whole chickens for domestic consumption in Portugal, only a few investigations have reported on the indoor air of these plants and the consequences of their degradation. Objectives – Describe one poultry environmental fungal contamination and analyze possible associations between temperature and relative humidity and its possible impact on the health of consumers and poultry workers. Methods – A descriptive study was developed to monitor one poultry fungal contamination. Five air samples of 100 liters through the impaction method were collected and 4 swab samples from surfaces were also collected using a 10 cm square of metal. Simultaneously, environmental parameters - temperature and relative humidity - were also measured. Results – Twenty species of fungi in the air were identified, being the 4 most commonly isolated were the following genera: Cladosporium (40.5%), Alternaria (10.8%), Chrysosporium, and Aspergillus (6.8%). In surfaces, 21 species of fungi were identified, the 4 genera more identified were Penicillium (51.8%), Cladosporium (25.4%), Alternaria (6.1%), and Aspergillus (4.2%). In addition, Aspergillus flavus also isolated in the poultry air is a well-known producer of potent mycotoxins (aflatoxin), and Aspergillus fumigatus, one of the species isolated in air and surfaces, is capable of causing severe or fatal aspergillosis. There was no significant relationship (p>0,05) between fungal contamination and environmental variables. Conclusions – Characterized fungal distribution in poultry air and surfaces and analyzed the association of environmental variables. It was recognized as a Public Health problem because of fungal contamination and also due to probable mycotoxins production with the possible contamination of food products. Fungal contamination, particularly due to the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus and also the possible presence of mycotoxins in the air, should be seen as a risk factor in this occupational setting.
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