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

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Alexis L. Mraz, The College of New Jersey; Nandini Mutyala, The College of New Jersey; Seana Cleary, Emory University; Brenda F. Seals, The College of New Jersey
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-09-27
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023 by the authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fmicroorganisms11102413
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Microorganisms
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 10
• Start Page: 2413
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was funded by Pilot Projects Research Training Program of the NY and NJ Education and Research Center, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, grant number T42 OH 008422. The APC was funded by The College of New Jersey.
• Keywords: quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA); personal protective equipment (PPE); Cryptosporidium parvum; zoonotic diseases; dairy farms, cryptosporidiosis
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, General; Biology, Microbiology

Abstract

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.