AVIARY AIR-HANDLER DESIGN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO FUNGAL SPORE LOADS IN THE AIR

Fungal spore loads in the air of cool-temperature, temperate, and tropical aviaries were collected with an Andersen N-6 air sampler. The relationship of spore loads to air-handler and exhibit design in these three environments was examined. In addition, a 2-yr longitudinal study of fungal spore load...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine 2007-12, Vol.38 (4), p.540-547
Main Authors: Dykstra, Michael J, Reininger, Kenneth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air filters
Air Microbiology
Air quality
Air sampling
Animals
Animals, Zoo
Antarctic regions
avian exhibits
Birds
Colony Count, Microbial
Filtration - instrumentation
Filtration - methods
Filtration - standards
Filtration - veterinary
Fungal spores
Fungi
Fungi - growth & development
Fungi - isolation & purification
Geographic regions
Housing, Animal
Paper bags
Spores, Fungal - isolation & purification
Temperate regions
Temperature
Tropical regions
Zoos
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Summary:Fungal spore loads in the air of cool-temperature, temperate, and tropical aviaries were collected with an Andersen N-6 air sampler. The relationship of spore loads to air-handler and exhibit design in these three environments was examined. In addition, a 2-yr longitudinal study of fungal spore loads in the air of a newly designed and installed air-handling system in the R. J. Reynolds Forest Aviary at the North Carolina Zoological Park was compared to the earlier air-handling system that it replaced. High-efficiency particulate air filters installed in cool-temperature aviaries produced the cleanest air, although pleated filters showed only marginally higher spore loads. Temperate and tropical aviaries with pleated filters or bag filters with variable-velocity fans had much higher spore loads. Tropical and temperate exhibits with bag filters and constant-velocity fans produced the cleanest air in tropical and temperate exhibits. Information on the relative effectiveness of different air-handling system designs and related costs/benefits should be used by zoo managers when they are designing or retrofitting aviary air-handling systems.
ISSN:1042-7260
1937-2825
DOI:10.1638/1042-7260(2007)38[540:AADAIR]2.0.CO;2