The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between
prevalence of respiratory disease in swine and respiratory health of swine farmers.
Fourteen farms were selected based on clinical history and slaughtercheck evidence of
respiratory problems in pigs. The farms were divided into two groups with either high
(n = 7) or low (n = 7) prevalence of respiratory disease in pigs. Airborne dust, endotoxin
and peptidoglycan were measured once in farrowing, gestation, nursery and finishing of
each farm. Respiratory health of farmers in participating farms was evaluated by
questionnaire and pulmonary function test. A mean of 71% of the pigs in high
prevalence farms had pneumonic lesions at slaughter, compared with 7% in low
prevalence farms. No significant relationship was found between prevalence of
respiratory disease in pigs and airborne dust, endotoxin or peptidoglycan. More farmers
in high prevalence farms reported chest tightness (p = 0.038). The percentage predicted
FEF25%-75% was lower (p = 0.046) in farmers working in high prevalence farms. Significant
differences disappeared after adjusting for smoking status. Our study suggests that
farmers working on farms with a high prevalence for respiratory disease in pigs may
have more respiratory problems than farmers working in farms with low prevalence of
such diseases