Water Quality Adversely Affects Poultry

 

Bacterial abundance of water samples in four series: V1, V3, V5, and V7. Data divided between (a) phyla and

(b) genera.  Figure taken from Wan et. al 2021. 

Water is critical to sustain our life on earth and its quality is an important factor to maintain a healthy ecosystem. As our planet observes a steady increment in the population, various industries have to modernize the way they function to provide their products in an efficient manner. This modernized change can be denoted in water systems, many commercial laying farms have adapted from open water systems to V-trough water systems with the purpose of decreasing labor, water leakage, and microbial contamination. Although water quality is regulated, commercial farms have overlooked the sanitation of the V-trough in water systems. The study conducted by Wan and his colleagues, analyzed the water of V-trough and tested for microbial abundance and activity in commercial laying farms by the usage of a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and 16s rRNA sequencing technology. Water samples were obtained in 24 distinct sections within four tiers: 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. These tiers demonstrated a significantly high microbial abundance in V-trough rather than a water pipe. Subsequently, the phyla level demonstrated a high abundance in Proteobacteria and in the genera level the total abundance exceeded thirty percent in: Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, Rothia, and Comamonas. Many of these bacteria are sources of diseases that can decline the health of poultry and put at risk one of our major food sources. The findings of this study provide light to ensure the water quality of poultry is not neglected and encourages different techniques to control the contamination in water. Poultry amongst other animals provide daily aliments for many of us to survive, the least that we can do is ensure that our poor choices do not adversely affect them. 

Original Article:

Wan,Y., Ma, R., Chai, L. et al. Determination of bacterial abundance and communities in the nipple drinking system of cascading cage layer houses. Sci Rep 11, 19169 (2021).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98330-z