Milk production in France represents a major agro-economic sector. Dairy farms provide an environment conducive to the formation and dispersion of fungal bioaerosols originating from various environmental reservoirs present on farms (manure, straw, hay, bedding, silage, etc.), to which both farmers and cattle are potentially exposed. In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report identifying certain fungal species as priority pathogens. Among these pathogens are molds commonly detected in aerosols. It is therefore necessary to characterize fungal communities present in dairy farms, including bioaerosols and different matrices. To characterize the mycobiota of air and the different matrices (feed, bedding, manure, water), 12 dairy farms were selected in Normandy and monitored during the winter season when cows remain indoors. Air samples were collected during various farming tasks (feeding, bedding, milking), and the different matrices were also studied. Molds were isolated and identified using microscopic and molecular methods. Physical data (temperature, relative humidity, particles number) were also collected during sampling. Species belonging to the genus Aspergillus (A. fumigatus in bioaerosols; A. tubingensis in feed and bedding), the genus Penicillium and its related species (Talaromyces piceae in bioaerosols; Penicillium series Roquefortorum in feed) and those of the Mucorales order (Mucor in bioaerosols, bedding and manure; Lichtheimia in feed) were the most recurrent species in dairy farms included in our study. Mulching is the activity that generates higher level of particles (p = .025), resulting in exposure mainly to Aspergillus (A. tubingensis: 417.5 CFU/m3) and Mucorales (Lichtheimia: 668.2 CFU/m3, Rhizopus: 131.8 CFU/m3 and Absidia: 127.3 CFU/m3). This study highlighted significant fungal diversity in bioaerosols, feed, bedding, and manure from dairy farms. The issue of fungal aerosolization was also addressed by observing transfer of strains from feed, bedding, and manure into the air during handling.
Problem Latino Farmworkers (LFW) in the United States experience high levels of depression, stress, and poor mental health. Services and social support resources are limited due to structural and economic factors. Research studies using standardized surveys and scales provide important information. However, they may not fully capture how mental health is socially constructed and navigated by migrant and seasonal farmworkers due to linguistic and cultural factors. Therefore, there is a need to develop research protocols and data collection instruments that are culturally appropriate and can describe and analyze how LFWs socially construct their mental and behavioral health and well-being.Objective The goal of this study is to investigate how LFWs in North Carolina conceptualize and socially construct their mental and behavioral health using research protocols culturally grounded in their work-life conditions.Methods This exploratory assessment uses data collected during the Spring and Summer of 2024 from eight focus groups in four North Carolina (NC) counties. A total of 85 LFWs (41 males and 44 females) participated in the study. Conversations in Spanish and the semi-structured process enabled focus group participants to respond in ways that highlighted their culturally based conceptualizations of work, family, and well-being.Results LFWs in this study described mental health as the ability to be at peace with oneself (estar en paz consigo mismo), suggesting an individualistic condition or endeavor. However, the strategies they employed to address negative mental health outcomes were also embedded in communal practices. Additionally, the data highlight differences in the way Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers use social support to address negative mental and behavioral health outcomes stemming from migration and separation from their families.Conclusions It is important that researchers and practitioners understand the social construction of mental health and the communal strategies employed by LFWs to sustain and support themselves. Culturally and linguistically appropriate research protocols and instruments that enhance data collection are key components for basic and applied interventions that are aimed at improving LFWs' health and well-being.
