Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution

Airborne diseases pose a significant challenge in intensive livestock farming due to their rapid transmission. Aerosols facilitate the spread of pathogens, introducing external infections to farms and enabling cross-transmission within barns. To address knowledge gaps in aerosol dynamics in animal r...

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Main Authors: Longhuan Du, Mohan Qiu, Zengrong Zhang, Chenming Hu, Li Yang, Zhuxiang Xiong, Jiangxian Wang, Xia Xiong, Han Peng, Jialei Chen, Shiliang Zhu, Xiaoyan Song, Chunlin Yu, Chaowu Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1396
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author Longhuan Du
Mohan Qiu
Zengrong Zhang
Chenming Hu
Li Yang
Zhuxiang Xiong
Jiangxian Wang
Xia Xiong
Han Peng
Jialei Chen
Shiliang Zhu
Xiaoyan Song
Chunlin Yu
Chaowu Yang
author_facet Longhuan Du
Mohan Qiu
Zengrong Zhang
Chenming Hu
Li Yang
Zhuxiang Xiong
Jiangxian Wang
Xia Xiong
Han Peng
Jialei Chen
Shiliang Zhu
Xiaoyan Song
Chunlin Yu
Chaowu Yang
author_sort Longhuan Du
collection DOAJ
description Airborne diseases pose a significant challenge in intensive livestock farming due to their rapid transmission. Aerosols facilitate the spread of pathogens, introducing external infections to farms and enabling cross-transmission within barns. To address knowledge gaps in aerosol dynamics in animal respiratory tracts and enhance understanding of airborne disease transmission, this study employed CT scanning, 3D printing, and CFD technologies to develop and validate a pig respiratory model. Qualitative and quantitative results from the present study reveal spatiotemporal heterogeneity in aerosol deposition and transmission. Under rest conditions, for aerosols with D ≤ 5.0 μm, 21.1% of inhaled aerosols were deposited in the lung by the end of a respiratory cycle. Doubling the respiratory cycle or the inhalation rate could further increase the penetration ability of small-sized aerosols by approximately 60% to 70%. Moreover, the asymmetric distribution of airflow between the left and right halves of the lower respiratory tract (<i>Q<sub>L</sub></i><sub>/<i>R</i></sub> = 0.89) resulted from the leftward position of the pig’s heart and consequently led to a deposition ratio of about 0.83 between the left and right bronchial airways. These findings provide fundamental scientific data for the development and application of aerosolized vaccines and offer insights into optimizing respiratory intervention strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-d4b58d1a89614b4cb04e09899d562a872025-08-20T03:14:45ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-05-011510139610.3390/ani15101396Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition DistributionLonghuan Du0Mohan Qiu1Zengrong Zhang2Chenming Hu3Li Yang4Zhuxiang Xiong5Jiangxian Wang6Xia Xiong7Han Peng8Jialei Chen9Shiliang Zhu10Xiaoyan Song11Chunlin Yu12Chaowu Yang13Sichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaSichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu 610066, ChinaAnimal Breeding and Genetics Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610066, ChinaAirborne diseases pose a significant challenge in intensive livestock farming due to their rapid transmission. Aerosols facilitate the spread of pathogens, introducing external infections to farms and enabling cross-transmission within barns. To address knowledge gaps in aerosol dynamics in animal respiratory tracts and enhance understanding of airborne disease transmission, this study employed CT scanning, 3D printing, and CFD technologies to develop and validate a pig respiratory model. Qualitative and quantitative results from the present study reveal spatiotemporal heterogeneity in aerosol deposition and transmission. Under rest conditions, for aerosols with D ≤ 5.0 μm, 21.1% of inhaled aerosols were deposited in the lung by the end of a respiratory cycle. Doubling the respiratory cycle or the inhalation rate could further increase the penetration ability of small-sized aerosols by approximately 60% to 70%. Moreover, the asymmetric distribution of airflow between the left and right halves of the lower respiratory tract (<i>Q<sub>L</sub></i><sub>/<i>R</i></sub> = 0.89) resulted from the leftward position of the pig’s heart and consequently led to a deposition ratio of about 0.83 between the left and right bronchial airways. These findings provide fundamental scientific data for the development and application of aerosolized vaccines and offer insights into optimizing respiratory intervention strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1396airborne diseaserespiratory tractaerosol dynamicsCT scanCFDaerosolized vaccines
spellingShingle Longhuan Du
Mohan Qiu
Zengrong Zhang
Chenming Hu
Li Yang
Zhuxiang Xiong
Jiangxian Wang
Xia Xiong
Han Peng
Jialei Chen
Shiliang Zhu
Xiaoyan Song
Chunlin Yu
Chaowu Yang
Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution
Animals
airborne disease
respiratory tract
aerosol dynamics
CT scan
CFD
aerosolized vaccines
title Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution
title_full Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution
title_fullStr Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution
title_full_unstemmed Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution
title_short Aerosol Dynamics in the Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals: An Insight into Transmission Patterns and Deposition Distribution
title_sort aerosol dynamics in the respiratory tract of food producing animals an insight into transmission patterns and deposition distribution
topic airborne disease
respiratory tract
aerosol dynamics
CT scan
CFD
aerosolized vaccines
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1396
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