Low-frequency electromagnetic fields as an alternative to sanitize water of drinking systems in poultry production?

Abstract

Low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF-EMF) may present an alternative to conventional sanitation methods of water supply lines in animal production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the application of LF-EMF on bacterial concentrations and biofilms at scale-models of different drinking systems (circulating and non-circulating) conventionally used in poultry holdings. Treated systems were equipped with commercial devices producing pulsed electromagnetic signals of low frequency up to 10,000 Hz; max. 21 mT. Exposure of water to LF-EMF resulted in changes of the culturable bacterial counts, although with high standard deviations. Differing between systems types, LF-EMF treatment seemed to be responsible either for a limitation or for an increase of colony forming unit counts, with partly statistically significant differences, especially in early stages of treatment. In contrast, neither biofilm formation nor counts of cells suspended in water differed between treated and control lines over 28 days of experiment, as determined by fluorescence microscopy. Although this study indicates that LF-EMF may influence culturability of water microorganisms, no clear inhibitory effects on bacterial biofilm formation or on planktonic microbes by LF-EMF treatment were confirmed in the experiments.

Innovative Perspectives on Biofilm Interactions in Poultry Drinking Water Systems and Veterinary Antibiotics Used Worldwide

“…Please note that microbiological counts for pseudomonads obtained through this approach were in an upper range for biofilm with P. fluorescens and slightly higher for biofilm with P. aeruginosa compared with those reported by Maes et al [ 17 ] (counts of pseudomonads 0.6–6.1 log 10 cfu cm −2 ) in drinking water systems of broiler houses in Belgium. The same applies to the data collected by Mateus-Vargas et al [ 16 ] (counts of pseudomonads 2.3–3.3 log 10 cfu cm −2 ) in models of drinking systems used in poultry productions. This is probably due to the higher concentrations of bacterial inoculum used for the experiments compared with the counts found in the water by the authors mentioned above [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Based on current literature, we hypothesized that biofilm–antibiotic interactions may have implications for the efficient usage of antimicrobial compounds and/or the development of antibiotic resistance. Although on-site studies would allow a real-life perspective of the interaction processes as well as the consequences, these first evaluations of biofilm–antibiotic interplay performed by our group, directly at an experimental model assembly of a drinking system (a description of which can be found in Mateus-Vargas et al [ 16 ]), showed that this approach may still not be appropriate (data not shown). The latter is probably due to numerous influencing factors, which complicate accurate statements on the implications of such interactions.…”

“…Additionally, a continuous fluid shear accompanied by fresh nutrients supplies influenced the experimental outcome concerning the efficacy of several antibiotics on biofilms [ 37 ]. Although hydrodynamic conditions significantly influence biofilm development in drinking systems used in the poultry industry [ 16 ], flow characteristics in water lines of animal premises are not constant and vary depending mostly on the pipe network architecture as well as water consumption in the barn [ 3 ]. The latter also varies depending on several factors, including the number of animals, animal’s weight, as well as flock health status [ 5 ].…”

“…From when drinking systems are put into operation, microorganisms colonize the inner surfaces of water lines and develop further into biofilms [ 16 ]. Once established in the pipe network, sessile bacteria are only affected to a very limited extent by cleaning and disinfection procedures [ 17 , 18 ], and consequently, close contact between antimicrobial compounds and biofilms as they traverse the pipe network before reaching the animals is unavoidable.…”

Sodium Hypochlorite Treatment: The Impact on Bacteria and Endotoxin Concentrations in Drinking Water Pipes of A Pig Nursery

“…The physical, chemical and microbiological water quality may have adverse effects on animal health and productivity [4]. For instance, water pipes in animal husbandries contain planktonic-or biofilm-forming bacteria [5], and several reports that have been summarized by Dewulf et al [6] indicate that water provided in pig barns can be a route of pathogen transmission. These pathogens may enter the water supply system via outside sources (e.g., well water) or via routes inside the farm (dosers, nipple drinkers etc.).…”