Why Air Biosecurity?
Modern poultry farms face a growing threat from diseases riding invisibly on air currents. Recent avian flu (HPAI) outbreaks have devastated flocks and pocketbooks. In 2015 the U.S. lost 50 million birds in seven months (over $3.3 billion in losses)[1]. More recently, “over 169 million birds” have been affected and costs to producers have exceeded $1.4 billion[2]. Egg prices spiked to an all-time high of $6.22/dozen in 2025, as consumers spent $14.5 billion extra on eggs amid HPAI-driven shortages[3]. These numbers show that every airborne infection can ripple through markets, farms, and families. Yet farmers have traditionally focused on fences, footbaths, and cage cleaning – all essential, but mostly blind to what’s floating in the barn air.
Farm biosecurity usually means boots-on-ground measures. But viruses and bacteria can hitchhike on dust, droplets or even ammonia gases, slipping past hand sanitizers and protective clothing. In fact, USDA studies found that airborne transmission played a clear role: processing infected birds even in controlled settings generated infectious aerosols that sickened nearby chickens (and test ferrets)[4]. In the 2015 HPAI outbreak, researchers noted that “traditional biosecurity protocols…proved unsuccessful” and that fine dust particles in the air likely carried the virus from farm to farm[5]. In short, a sneeze or sprinkler-drip of virus can go where tractors and footbaths cannot.
Gaps in “traditional” biosecurity: Ventilation fans, filters, UV lights and routine sanitation all help, but none neutralize pathogens in air. For example: – Ventilation & Fans: These are great at keeping barns cool, but they move air – and any pathogens in it – rather than killing germs. In fact, viral outbreaks often emerge near air inlets, suggesting infected dust was being sucked into flocks[5].
– Filters (HEPA, inlet screens): HEPA filters can trap particles, but installing them on large farm fans is expensive and they clog with dust. Filters remove some dust, but tiny virus-laden aerosols slip through or accumulate in layers.
– UVC/Light Sterilizers: Ultraviolet light can kill germs in a lab, but in practice UV lamps have short range and get coated with grime in a barn. Michigan engineers found non-thermal plasma inactivates airborne viruses far faster and more completely than UVC[6]. In dusty, crowded barns, UV simply can’t reach all the germs fluttering under a chicken’s feathers.
– Oil/Water Sprays: Misting systems (with oil or water) knock dust down (sometimes by ~20–50%), but don’t kill microbes, and can create other problems[7]. For instance, the University of Georgia found that spraying water in hen houses cut dust by up to 64% but increased ammonia by 21–65%[7]. High ammonia (even 25–50 ppm) damages birds’ lungs and immunity, making infections like influenza and ND even more deadly[8].
– Entry Hygiene: Footbaths, clothing changes and cage washes block bugs on boots and crates, but do nothing about pathogens floating overhead. Once HPAI hits a farm, entire flocks must be culled regardless of footbaths.
In short, even the best static biosecurity measures can leave the barn air unchecked. Scientists note that barn air is full of bioaerosols – bacteria, fungi, viruses and dust from litter, feathers, feed and manure[9]. In tightly packed, poorly ventilated houses these bioaerosol levels can skyrocket. Tiny particles (PM2.5 and smaller) can carry avian influenza and other pathogens deep into birds’ lungs[9]. Meanwhile ammonia and gases not only harm bird health directly – “ammonia can breach respiratory defenses and allow viral and bacterial pathogens into the respiratory system” – but also reduce weight gain and raise mortality[8].
Put simply, the air itself has become a door left open on a pandemic. Farmers know that bad air makes birds sick – but until now they had no easy way to “purify” it. The record of recent outbreaks makes the case clear: pathogens riding on dust or mist can outflank even strict on-the-ground biosecurity[5][4]. To protect flocks (and stabilize egg and meat prices), we must move beyond fences and footbaths. In-barn air disinfection – proactively neutralizing germs in the very air birds breathe – is the next frontier of poultry biosecurity. By scrubbing the air 24/7, we can stop the next outbreak before the first cough of disease.
[1] [5] Airborne transmission may have played a role in the spread of 2015 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in the United States | Scientific Reports
[2] Nationwide Avian Flu Response Gains Momentum, Yet Urgent Action Remains Essential
[3] Supply Constraints From HPAI Cost American Consumers $14.5 Billion In 2024-25 — Innovate Animal Ag
https://innovateanimalag.org/hpai-costs-2025
[4] Project : USDA ARS
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=431882&fy=2018
[6] [10] [11] Cold plasma can kill 99.9% of airborne viruses, study shows – Michigan Engineering News
https://news.engin.umich.edu/2019/04/cold-plasma-can-kill-almost-all-airborne-viruses-study-shows/
[7] Suppressing dust in cage-free henhouse with the sprinkling system | Poultry Tips
[8] veterinarypaper.com
https://www.veterinarypaper.com/pdf/2018/vol3issue4/PartA/3-4-14-175.pdf
[9] Frontiers | Aerosol Concentrations and Fungal Communities Within Broiler Houses in Different Broiler Growth Stages in Summer
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.775502/full
[12] [13] [17] [19] [21] KiposTech – The World Food Prize – Improving the Quality, Quantity and Availability of Food in the World
https://kipostech.com/our-solution
[15] [16] A smart automatic control and monitoring system for environmental control in poultry houses integrated with earlier warning system | Scientific Reports
[18] Ammonia Robs Efficiency from Poultry Production – Jones-Hamilton Ag