Follow-up research on windbreak mesh:
The finer the windbreak mesh, the stronger the lowering effect on the amount of aerosolized bird flu virus (very small droplets of moisture) that is let through. This has emerged from research by the Animal Health Service (GD) and Utrecht University, financed by the poultry sector.
Placing windbreak netting has a clear lowering effect on the risk of avian flu infections through the air inlets. Placing double windbreak mesh in front of the air intake ensured that the risk of becoming infected was reduced by a factor of 10 when a significant amount of live AI virus was added to the incoming air via aerosol form. It is expected that the reducing effect on contamination by windbreak mesh will be even higher for AI viruses that are attached to coarser particles (fertilizer, large droplets, insects, feathers, etc.). This emerged in October last year from earlier research by the Animal Health Service (GD) and Utrecht University.
Follow-up research now shows that the finer the gauze, the stronger the reducing effect on the amount of virus in aerosol form (very small droplets of moisture) that is passed through. Read the text box at the bottom of this article for more background information about the follow-up study.
Attention to stable climate is of great importance
The installation of windbreak mesh or cloth entails challenges for the barn climate. That’s why Avined asked the Climate Platform for Poultry Farming for advice on how best to use windbreak mesh without negative effects on climate control. read here on Avined’s website more about.
Attention to regulations for quality schemes
Quality systems such as BLK and IKB can also set requirements for matters such as housing, climate and free range. These requirements may relate to how you can apply windbreak mesh to your company. Attention was also paid to this during the Poultry Farming Climate Platform. Consult the website of IKB Ei, IKB Kip, BLk in KAT for a complete overview of the regulations. read here’s the full report of the Poultry Farming Climate Platform.
Customization
The studies show that the attachment of windbreak mesh for the air intake can be a biosecurity measure to reduce the risk of avian flu being introduced. The application of cloth or mesh entails challenges for the barn climate. It requires customization, because every stable is different. Coordination with the supplier and climate expert is of great importance in this respect.
Follow-up study of windbreak mesh: Four setups investigated
In the follow-up study, the Animal Health Service (GD) simulated the situation under laboratory conditions in which avian flu virus would enter the house through the air inlets. The following setups have been investigated:
*Perforated sheet piling has a high and a low side. The low side is attached to the outside wall of the poultry house. The high side is linked to the next plate, hence the coupling side.
What do we know about windbreak mesh or cloth?
In recent years, various studies have been carried out on windbreak mesh, initiated and financed by the poultry sector. Here is a brief overview of the results:
Laboratory tests in which virus quantity was measured on a filter in an airlock: With double-layer Multi-cloth (Hazenberg) or two layers of Multi-cloth (Hazenberg) plus dust gauze/dust cloth, significantly less (11 to 142 times) AI virus was detected than with one or no Multi-cloth windbreak gauze ( at the same airspeed) (= trial 2018); Both double-layer Multi-cloth (Hazenberg) and one-layer 3×3 mm windbreak mesh with one layer of Multi-cloth significantly reduced (P<0.05) the measured amount of virus passing through the air inlet. The measured amount of H6N1 virus was again significantly less with the double layer of Multi-leeve than with one layer of 3×3 windbreak gauze in combination with one layer of Multi-cloth** (= trial January 2023); The other set-ups (sheet pile with single-layer Multi-sheet and the set-up with one layer of 3×3 windbreak mesh without Multi-sheet) did not yield a statistically significant reduction in the amount of virus let through compared to the set-up without mesh (= trial January 2023). Contamination test with chickens: Placement of double-layered Multi-cloth (Hazenberg) in front of the air inlet reduced the risk of chickens becoming infected by a factor of 10 when a significant amount of live AI virus was added to the incoming air via aerosol form (= trial October 2022);
The effect is expected to be even greater if the avian flu virus is bound to larger particles, such as fertiliser, feathers and plant particles. It also forms an extra barrier against pests, such as rodents and insects, and there is a chance that the risk of contamination via the air intake by other germs is also reduced.
** The reduction factor due to the Multicloth bilayer was 4.1 by the RT-PCR results and 10 by the virus isolation method. These virus isolation results are most important for poultry, because the virus detected by this test is still infectious virus. For the setup with one layer of 3×3 windbreak gauze and one layer of Multi-cloth, the reducing factor according to RT-PCR was 1.9 and according to the virus titration factor 5.1.
2023-07-14 11:34:20
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