Is Personal Protective Equipment Worth the Hassle? Annual Risk of Cryptosporidiosis to Dairy Farmers and How Personal Protective Equipment and Handwashing Can Mitigate It

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cleary S ; Mraz AL ; Mutyala N ; Seals BF
• Description:
  Cows are known carriers of Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum), a protozoa that can cause the gastrointestinal illness cryptosporidiosis in humans. Despite this potential exposure, dairy farmers tend to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect the milk from contamination, rather than to protect themselves from zoonotic diseases, such as cryptosporidiosis. In this study, cow feces were collected from individual cattle on dairy farms and analyzed for C. parvum using qPCR. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was used to determine the risk of cryptosporidiosis to the dairy farmer with and without the use of handwashing and PPE (gloves and masks). The annualized risk of cryptosporidiosis to dairy farmers was 29.08% but was reduced significantly in each of the three interventions. Among the individual interventions, glove use provided the greatest reduction in risk, bringing the annual risk of cryptosporidiosis to 4.82%. Implementing regular handwashing, the use of gloves and a mask brought the annual risk of cryptosporidiosis to 1.29%. This study provides evidence that handwashing and PPE use can significantly reduce the risk of cryptosporidiosis to farmers and is worth implementing despite potential barriers such as discomfort and cost. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cattle Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Cryptosporidium Parvum Cattle Industry Cryptosporidiosis Dairy Farms Gastrointestinal System Disorders Hand Washing Parasitic Diseases Personal Protective Equipment PPE QMRA Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Zoonoses Zoonotic Diseases

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• ISSN:
  2076-2607
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; New Jersey ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068690
• Citation:
  Microorganisms 2023 Oct; 11(10):2413
• Contact Point Address:
  Alexis L. Mraz, The Department of Public Health, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, The College of New Jersey, Ewing Township, NJ 08618
• Email:
  mraza@tcnj.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Microorganisms
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1dc094b6f74c7d4a35baf257848c8b87a6df1fb27c26902c134a67e1d00a1ca99df0c3677f6cb9172ef8d5e454bbf7546c30715d9af4c9aab85f5fa14699f99b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207280/cdc_207280_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 511.23 KB ]