Aero-microbiology of Selected Poultry Farms in Imo State, South Eastern, Nigeria

The aero-microbiology of selected poultry farms in Imo State, South Eastern Nigeria was investigated by microbial analysis. Result revealed that in Owerri poultry farm, Pm2.5 had a range of 8-36±1.4 ug/m3, PM10 had a range of 19-55±1.4ug/m3, a temperature range of 34.1-37.8±4.2oC and a relative humidity of 63.3-81.6±0.0%, while poultry farm at Okigwe had Pm2.5 range of 8±1.4-21±1.4ug/m3, PM10 had a range of 20±1.4- 88±2.8ug/m3, a temperature range of 28.6±1.2-38.1±0.0oc, and a relative humidity of 63.4±0.0-87.0±1.4%. Total heterotrophic bacterial count (THBC), total coliform count (TCC), Total Staphylococal count(TSC) and total fungi count (TFC) examined showed that THBC group had the highest counts with a range of 1.2-20.8cfu/plate/mins along the distances at 15minutes, 2.7-21.4cfu/plate/mins at 30minutes and 3.5-21.8cfu/plate/mins at 45minutes. While in Okigwe, THBC which was also the highest had a range of 09-22.5 along the distances at 15minutes, 1.2-24.8cfu/plate/mins at 30minutes and 1.0-4.0cfu/plate/mins at 45 minutes. Bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus and Streptococcus species while the fungi isolated were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium Mucor and Rhizopus Species. Temperature, particulate matter and microbial counts were highest during the dry season, while relative humidity was highest during the rainy season respectively. It was observed that as time increased along the distances examined, microbial load also increased. The aero-microbiology of the farms studied showed that the air contained presence of bacteria and fungi of medical importance in both seasons, hence, there is the need to always ensure proper management and evaluation of poultry farms to avoid micro-organisms from exceeding their permissive limits.