BY-Dr Jobanjit singh¹ and Dr Jugraj singh mahal¹*
¹Assistant professor, Khalsa College of Veterinary and Animal sciences, Amritsar, Punjab (143001)
Corresponding author * – Jugrajmahal30@gmail.com
Common disinfectants used in animal shelters:
1. Savlon (Chlorhexidine)
2. Quaternary ammonium compound
3. Bleach (Sodium hypochlorite)
4. Potassium peroxymonosulfate
5. Alcohol (usually in hand sanitizer)
6. Phenoloic disinfectants
Methods of application of disinfectant:
Mopping:
Mopping or wiping on disinfectant using a rag or paper towel is generally less efficient than spraying, but may be the only practical option in some circumstances such as in rooms without drains.
Spraying:
Spraying offers the advantage that disinfectant does not get contaminated by organic materials as it would in a mop busket. It also tends to be faster than mop busket application and commercial sprayers can be set to automatically supply the correct dilution. Hose end or high pressure sprayers coat the area to be cleaned more effectively than hand held spray bottles.
Cleaning of utensils used in animal house: Using neat and clean utensils during animal feeding helps to maintain animal health. The containers used in collection of food products from animals such as milk, egg must be hygienic. To maintain the animal house utensils clean following protocols can be followed:
1. Pre wash the utensils with clean, cold water. This removes much of the dirt and should be carried out immediately after the product has been removed. After washing with cold water, wash the equipment with warm water (50 degree celcius) to remove fatty materials. Lesser amount of detergent is required in later stages if the equipment is once thoroughly washed with water.
2. Wash the equipment with a detergent solution. The equipment should be cleaned thoroughly at this stage to ensure that it is chemically clean. If the equipment is cleaned by hand it should be scrubbed thoroughly using the detergent solution. Detergent cleaning also reduces bacterial numbers on the equipment.
3. Drain the detergent solution and after drainage rinse the equipment at least three with cold water to remove all the traces of detergent. Once washed and rinsed the equipment should be stored in a clean, dry, dust free area.
Cleanliness and quality feed enhance animal growth and prevents diseases: Quality of feed gets degraded due to inappropriate storage practices and adulteration by the manufacturers. During storage certain physical, chemical and biological changes occur which will deteriorate the food grains. Feeding with such feed will lead to disease conditions. To avoid this make sure that the feed quality is acceptable and storage places must be hygienic, dry and no access to rodents, insects and pests. Sometimes, to increase the net weight, feed is adulterated by sand, iron dust and metallic objects which may lead to the development of various fatal digestive disorders such as impaction, Traumatic reticulo-peritonitis (TRP)/ foreign body syndrome, etc. Therefore, the quality of the feed must be checked routinely so as to prevent the above mentioned diseases. The simple practise of passing magnet from the newly purchased feed can also be adopted for separating out the metallic objects.
Manure and waste management in animal house: If not managed properly, animal manure and animal waste may create problem of air and water pollution. Manure and waste products of animal house can be helpful in a number of ways. Manure management refers to capture, storage, treatment, and utilization of animal manures in an environmentally sustainable manner. It can be retained in various holding facilities. Animal manure can occur in a liquid, slurry, or solid form that can be used for composting and biogas production.
Composting:
Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter in manure, crop residue or farm waste, by a mixed microbial population in a warm, moist aerobic environment. The organic matter is decomposed by the successive action of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. In the final stages of decomposition, redworms (or manure worms) assist in the production of stable humus which is useful as organic fertilizer.
Biogas production:
Biogas is produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of biodegradable materials from animal house like manure and animal waste. Biogas comprises primarily of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) which can be used for cooking and lighting.
General precautions while maintaining animal house clean:
• Provide clean food and water to animals; put the drinking bowls and hay racks so high up that dung and urine cannot fall into the food and water.
• Remove feces from animal enclosures frequently (at least once a day).
• Do not keep animals overcrowded. Vaccinate animals against the important diseases prevalent in the region.
• Be careful with carcasses; bury or burn the dead animals.
• Make sure that the air in the stables is well ventilated. Ventilation removes the dampness and dampness is required by the bacteria for survival, growth and multiplication.
• Do not mix healthy animals with diseased animals. Newly purchased animal must be kept separate from the herd for a few weeks and must be monitored for any disease condition.
Hygiene in Animal Housing:
Good housing is an integral part of human and animal welfare. Scientific housing of animals is essential for obtaining maximum benefits from livestock and birds in respect of their productivity and services to the mankind. Housing is an important activity of all modern animal welfare programmes. A clean shelter also adds the benefits of increasing the comfort level of animal and presenting positive impacts on the health of the animal. Proper hygienic condition helps to avoid bacterial, viral, and parasitic infection and related illness in animals. Considering the kind of weather conditions and harsh climate, it is all the more important that animals must be in hygienic conditions as possible.
Salmonella, Campylobacter, some E. coli and Giardia are more likely to cause diarrhea in humans and can be spread from infected animals to farm workers’ hands and then from hand to mouth. Salmonella causes pronounced diarrhea in animals, so it is fairly easy for a farm worker to be exposed. If a dairy herd is infected, the bacteria may also be passed into the milk. Drinking raw milk infected with just a few Salmonella organisms can result in significant human infection with fever and prolonged diarrhea. Food products which are procured from infected animal also help to spread disease in humans. To avoid disease spread in animals and humans good hygiene practices are necessary in animal housing.
Animal house location:
The location of farmstead is selected giving due consideration to the supply of potable water, adequate sun exposure and efficient drainage. Other factors like uninterrupted power supply, topography and road, transport and market facilities also contribute to the selection of site. The aspects of drainage in animal houses must receive utmost attention. The soil should be porous and the slope in the land gentle so that water accumulation or logging is prevented and the farm premises remain dry. Well drained sites maintain the animals in good health. Housing of livestock also provides facilities for feeding, rearing of offsprings, production of milk and meat; ventilation, lighting and store/ stack yard. It must ensure protection against rains, driving winds, excessive heat, cold and dampness. In general, the animal housing shall be located at a raised, cool, dry place having sufficient sunlight.
Pathogens and livestock housing: Livestock are exposed to the challenge of potential pathogens in their sheds, pens, parlours and brooders. The pathogens are brought from outside by wind (viral agents can travel a great distance through air, dust (Q fever, brucellosis, tuberculosis), vectors (mosquitoes, lice, ticks, fleas, etc.). The infective agents voided by diseased animals serve as source of infection to healthy stock by contact (leptospirosis), ingestion (salmonellosis, parasitosis, New Castle disease, brucellosis and H. S., etc.), inhalation (tuberculosis, brooder pneumonia, and foot and mouth disease) to site a few instances. Numerous direct vector transmitted infections are spread through vectors (lice, ticks, fleas) that develop within the farm houses. A major approach to reduce this challenge relates to cleaning the buildings by rubbing, scrubbing, dusting, washing and disinfection between batches of animals to the house.
Ventilation:
Ventilation in animal houses is required for removing stale air and to replace it by fresh air. Very little ventilation or too much of it is injurious to the health of animals and their attendants. In improperly ventilated animal houses, the stagnant air becomes warmer and more humid. Condensation of water on the surface, bedding and floors makes them wet and animals become uncomfortable. It eventually leads to concentration of animals at places (uneven distribution of animals) causing accumulation of excreta and expired air in pockets. All these factors also lead to concentration of dust, particulate matter, ammonia, other gases and pathogenic microorganisms carried by animals facilitating exacerbation of respiratory and enteric diseases, mastitis and other illnesses. High humidity with low temperature during the winter months are favourable for the spread of various infections. Further, the gases arising from slurry pits or channels beneath the animals also expose the animals to intoxication.
Disposal of sewage and farm refuge: Farm yard refuge has long been used as fertilizer in agricultural farms. This is contributed by
• The animals as excreta-faeces and urine, and minute amounts of coughing and body secretions;
• Left over food, feeds and beddings
• Water used for drinking and washing of animals and floors.
Sometimes, however, these unwanted waste-products become difficult to dispose off. Solid farm yard manure is usually difficult to remove satisfactorily. A mixture of faeces and urine is suspended in water occasionally with bedding to have semi-liquid slurry. It is allowed to flow through the gutter to tanks, ponds below grounds or lakes and artificially excavated depressions on the ground. These lead to pollution of water sources, farm ditches, streams, river etc. Liberation of foul smell and risk of disease dissemination allow thinking unusing of waste disposal through sewage.
Farmstead environment and health: Human and animal health is adversely affected by polluted environment. Disease producing agents namely, bacteria, viruses, fungi and (ecto- and endo-) parasites are widely distributed in the environment. Arthropods developed in certain environments act as vectors for many disease causing agents. Stagnant water in the farm premises and animal houses allows the development of mosquitoes which may transmit many diseases to animals and man. Vectors transmit infections mechanically or biologically. Fleas, flies, ticks and mites which develop rapidly under warm and humid conditions and in areas with organic matter and sandy soil can disseminate many infective agents like spirochetes, rickettsia, viruses and parasites.
Major sources of contamination in animal house: Domesticated animals are normally prone to disease. Bacteria, virus, parasites may interfere in animal health and food product obtained from them. To avoid this, it is essential to find the sources of contamination and preventive measures.
Water:
drinking water will be contaminated with number of pathogens and will be source of contamination and illness in animals. Clean, chlorinated water will help to reduce pathogenic load. Water which is used for cleaning the animal and shelter is also treated with appropriate disinfectant to maintain sanitation.
Feed:
feed provides direct entry of pathogenic entities into the animal body and is the potential source of disease. Putrefied feed also creates problems in digestion so proper feeding is obligatory.
Personnel: during animal handling a load of pathogens can transfer from humans to animal bacteria such as E. coli, Shigella, Salmonella will cause infection to animal, or it may contaminate food products (milk). To avoid this, personal hygiene is necessary and some precaution has to be taken like washing hands with warm and soapy water before entry in farm. Avoid entry of Infected and carrier individual in a shelter.
Insects and pests:
lots of diseases are spread because of insect and pests that are present in animal shelter like a mosquito, house fly, ticks, rats, mites, etc. Proper pest control protocols help to reduce insect and pest and related diseases.
Protocols for animal house hygiene:
Cleaning of animals and their environment:
• Physical cleaning includes removal of urine, fecal matter and organic material from the animal body and the environment.
• Cleaning should result in visible clean surface.
• Daily cleaning of animals and farm help to avoid a number of diseases and it can also reduce the objectionable odor in shelters and the environment.
• Effective sanitation requires applying a germicidal agent to a basically clean surface. This requires use of both detergent and disinfectant products. Detergents in themselves do nothing to kill germs.
• Virtually all disinfectants used in shelters are inactivated by organic material such as feces, kitty litter, saliva, sneeze marks and plain old dirt to some extent, so if they are not applied to a clean surface, they simply will not work.
• Periodically, a stronger degreaser should be used to deal with body oils and other grunge that builds up in kennels over time and can render disinfectants ineffective.
There is no single perfect disinfectant for use in all circumstances. It is important to consider the surface to be cleaned and the harmful microorganisms most likely to be present. Most disinfectants are effective against most bacteria, enveloped viruses and fungi.
A clear understanding of the definition and function of different cleaning products is important to design an effective cleaning protocol. Three types of product are generally used for environmental cleaning:
• Soap/detergent:
Cleaning agent which works by suspending dirt and grease. Does not kill harmful microorganisms.
• Disinfectant:
Chemical agent which kills harmful microorganisms and does not necessarily remove dirt or grease
• Degreaser:
More powerful soap/detergent specially formulated to penetrate layers of dried on body oils and other greasy debris.
