Alternative methods to reduce
infectious burdens in farm animal
stables
Monika Krüger, Henning Gerlach, Achim Gerlach, Wieland
Schroedl und Awad Shehata*
Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie der Universität Leipzig (UL)
*Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institut für Agrar- und Veterinärwissenschaften e.V. An
institut der UL
Contents
 Introduction
Factors influencing animal health
Possible approaches
 Experiment (1): Cold fogging and water application
of Lactobacillus in chicken farms
 Experiment (2): Feed supplementation of charcoal,
humic acids and sauerkraut juice for dairy cattle
 Conclusion
Industrial livestock farming
Present reality and agricultural future
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Industrial livestock farming
Dairy cow farm
Beef bull farm
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
<Environmental factors
management
feed/water
quality
amount
mycotoxins
bacterial contaminations
herbicids
stressful or
stressles
management
program
health program
husbandry
conditions
structurel
conditions
ventilation
animal numbers
microbial pollutions
dust concentrations
harmful gas concentrations
infection pressures
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Factors influencing chicken health
dust
organic
(endotoxins)
anorganic
harmful
gases
aerosols
microorganisms
fungi
bacteria
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Clostridium botulinum
toxicoinfections in dairy cows
 Increasing since 1996
 C. botulinum spores germinate and produce
botulinum neurotoxin in the gastrointestinal
tract because of dysbacteriosis
 Dysbacteriosis happens due to contamination
of feed with the total herbicide glyphosate
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Clostridium botulinum
toxicoinfections in dairy cows
 Health promotic and antagonistic bacteria
like enterococci, lactobacilli, bacilli, bifidobacteria are reduced by glyphosate
(Shehata et al. 2012, Krüger et al. 2013)
 Charcoal, Sauerkraut juice and humic acid
bind, neutralise ore antagonise the effect of
this herbicide
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Aim of the investigations
1. Reduction of the concentrations of harmful
gases, dust and microbial pollutions in a
chicken broiler farm by cold fogging and oral
application of lactobacilli (fermented herbage
extract, FHE)
2. Reduction of gastrointestinal burden due to
Clostridium botulinum by oral application of
charcoal, sauerkraut juice or humic acids
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Control house (22.000/pen)
Trial house (22.000/pen)
Treatment:
1. Cold fogging of 50l FHE on 1000 m2 before littering
2. Cold fogging of 50 l FHE after littering
3. Twice daily fogging of 20 l/d 10% FHE diluted in water
4. Daily application of about 10 l FHE in drinking water
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Parameters
 Harmful gases
 Dust
 Microbial pollution
 Endotoxin concentration
 Performance
 Health
 Litter quality at the end of fattening
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 1: Reduction of harmful gases in relation to the
control pen by FHE
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Dust (mg/m3)
Results 1: Reduction of dust in FHE cold fogged chicken pen
Age of the chickens in weeks
Treated stable
untreated stable
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 1: Reduction of total aerobe and anaerobe bacteria in
the air of FHK cold fogged chicken pen
Before fogging
Directly after fogging
2h after fogging
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 1: reduction of lactobacilli and mould spores in the
air of FHK cold fogging of chicken pen
Before fogging
Directly after fogging
2h after fogging
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 1: reduction of endotoxin concentration in the
air after FHK-cold fogging
4,E+05
***
4,E+05
EU/m3
3,E+05
***
***
(P<0.001)
cont.
H4
H5
trial
3,E+05
2,E+05
2,E+05
1,E+05
5,E+04
0,E+00
P<0.0001
7
21
32
Age/day
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 1: Significant reduction of blood serum avidin
level after FHK-cold fogging
(P<0.05)
180
*
160
Avidin (ng/ml)
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Stall 4
untreated
treated
Stall 5
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 1: Litter quality after FHK cold fogging on day 35
Corn straw spindles
Litter of treated pen (dry)
Corn straw spindles
Litter of untreated pen (wet)
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Summary 1:
Application of Fermented herbal extract
leads to reducion of harmful gases, dust and
microbial pollutions in chicken broiler pens.
Simultaneously the endotoxin concentration
of the air was significantly reduced.
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Experiment 2: Feed supplementation with charcoal ,
sauerkraut juice or humic acids in a dairy dairy cow farm
• 380 dairy cows
• 4 groups of 10 animals
Group 1: first third of lactation
Group 2: second third of lactation
Group 3: third third of lactation
Group 4: dry cows
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Experiment 2: Feed supplementation with charcoal ,
sauerkraut juice or humic acids in a dairy dairy cow farm
Health problems: reduced performance, movement disorder, fertility disorders,
inflammation of the urinary bladder, viscous salivas, diarrhea.
Treatment:
1. 4 weeks 400g charcoal/d
2. 4 weeks 200g charcoal/d
3. 6 weeks 200g charcoal + 500ml Sauerkraut juice
4. 4 weeks 120 g humic acids/d
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Parameters dairy cow trial
• C. botulinum antibody concentration in blood
serum
• Haptoglobin concentration in blood serum
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 2: Development of C. botulinum type ABE antibody levels in
blood serum of dairy cows in relation to the application of charcoal,
SJ or humic acids
180 %
400g CC
200g CC
200gCC+ SJ
120g HA
No sub.
160
group 1
group 2
group 3
140
group 4
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0
4
CC=charcoal, SJ=asuerkraut juice
8
14
Weeks of treatment
20
26
HA=humic acids
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 2: Development of C. botulinum type CD antibody levels in blood
serum of dairy cows in relation to the application of charcoal or humic
acids
(P<0.05)
%
900
400g CC
200g CC
200gCC+ SJ
120g HA
No sub.
group 1
800
group 2
700
group 3
600
group 4
500
400
300
*
*
200
100
0
0
4
CC=charcoal, SJ=asuerkraut juice
8
14
18
HA=humic acids
Weeks of treatment
26
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Results 2: Development of haptoglobin levels in blood serum of dairy cows in
relation to the application of charcoal, SJ or humic acids
µg/ml
800
group 1
group 2
700
group 3
600
group 4
500
400
300
200
100
0
0
4
8
14
Weeks of treatment
18
26
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Summary 2:
Oral application of charcoal, Sauerkraut juice and
humic acids influence the C. botulinum antibody
levels indicating reduced gastrointestinal
neurotoxin burden.
Omitting of these substituts led to increased
antibody levels.
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Conclusions
 Cold fogging and water application of Fermented
Herbal Extract is suitable to reduce the burden of
animals and their farmers inside the pens but the
emissions too.
 Charcoal, sauerkraut and humic acids are old
but still good strategies to control the
homeostasis in the gastrointestinal tract of dairy
cows.
Introduction- chicken trial- dairy cattle trial- summary and conclusion
Questions???
Thank you for attention