Low prevalence of handwashing and importance of signage at California county fair animal exhibits

Disease outbreaks among visitors at venues where animals are exhibited, such as animal shows at county fairs or petting zoos, are national public health concerns. Zoonotic disease transmission at fairs can occur through a variety of pathways, including direct contact with livestock and indirect exposure through contact with animals' immediate surroundings. Handwashing can reduce pathogen transmission. The goal of this observational study was to determine rates of handwashing among county fair visitors and to learn whether signage and/or contact with animals were correlated with handwashing practice. The investigation was conducted at four county fairs located across two geographic regions of California. Observations occurred over the course of one summer. Results from our observations of fair visitors revealed a low overall prevalence (5%) of handwashing behavior. However, fair visitors who made contact with animals were more likely to wash their hands. Additionally, those individuals who walked through barns where handwashing signage was present were significantly more likely to wash their hands than those who visited barns without signage.

Life Skill Development and Financial Impact Associated With a Youth Livestock Sales Program

The Sale of Junior Champions is a premier livestock auction and youth scholarship program held at Dixie Nationals as a part of Mississippi’s junior livestock program. The sale is open to 4-H and FFA members who qualified their livestock at the annual Dixie National Junior Round-Up. While youth livestock sales programs are commonly found at state and county fairs throughout the United States, demographic information and information concerning financial and life skill impacts of the program on participants is limited. Therefore, a survey instrument for the 2018 sale was designed to determine how the event has impacted the financial burden of continued education and life skill development of youth participants. Paper and electronic surveys were distributed during and after the event. Responses (n = 176) reflected a diverse group of participants including 4-H/FFA members (22%), parents of youth (22%), volunteers (21%), Extension employees/FFA advisors (22%), sale buyers/sponsors (12%), and others (2%). Most participants (45%) were older (40-60 years old). Almost half of the respondents (43%) had attended the sale 6 or more times, while 10% were first-time attendees. A driving force for attendance appeared to be the scholarships as 33% received or had a youth receiving a scholarship. Program participation promoted improvement in all life skills measured. Future educational goals in youths were reported to be positively impacted by sale participation (p < 0.001). Understanding of sale participant demographics and financial and life skill impacts will assist in program justification, future program growth, and identifying groups where participation can be strengthened.

Beginnings

Spectacular Bid’s story starts with his birth in a mud puddle—an incident that his owners believed toughened him up. The first year of Spectacular Bid’s life is covered in detail. Bid’s pedigree consisted of twins (a rarity in horse racing) and a filly that ho raced at county fairs—not exactly the bloodlines of a superstar.

The Nasal and Oropharyngeal Microbiomes of Healthy Livestock Workers

ABSTRACTLittle information exists on the microbiomes of livestock workers. A cross-sectional, epidemiological study was conducted enrolling 59 participants (26 of which had livestock contact) in Iowa. Participants were enrolled in one of four ways: from an existing prospective cohort study (n=38), from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Animal Feeding Operations database (n=17), through Iowa county fairs (n=3), and through snowball sampling (n=1). We collected two sets of swabs from the nares and oropharynx of each participant. The first set of swabs was used to assess the microbiome via 16s rRNA sequencing and the second was used to cultureS. aureus.We observed livestock workers to have greater diversity in their microbiomes compared to those with no livestock contact. In the nares, there were 26 operational taxonomic units found to be different between livestock workers and non-livestock workers with the greatest difference seen withStreptococcusandProteobacteria.In the oropharynx, livestock workers with swine exposure were more likely to carry several pathogenic organisms. The results of this study are the first to characterize the livestock worker nasal and oropharyngeal microbiomes.