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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337029
Research Project: Antibiotic Alternatives for Controlling Foodborne Pathogens and Disease in Poultry

Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research

Title: Biofilm growth on polyvinylchloride surface incubated in suboptimal microbial warm water and effect of sanitizers on biofilm removal post biofilm formation

Author
item MAHARJAN, PRAMIR - University Of Arkansas
item HUFF, GERALDINE - Former ARS Employee
item ZHANG, WEN - University Of Arkansas
item WATKINS, SUSAN - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/6/2016
Publication Date: 1/1/2017
Citation: Maharjan, P., Huff, G., Zhang, W., Watkins, S. 2017. Biofilm growth on polyvinylchloride surface incubated in suboptimal microbial warm water and effect of sanitizers on biofilm removal post biofilm formation. Poultry Science. 96(1):83-87.

Interpretive Summary: Biofilms consist of bacteria that attach to surfaces and form communities. They can cause a problem when they form in poultry drinking water lines. This experiment used drinking water taken from the wells on two poultry farms that were contaminated with bacteria. The water was used to incubate pieces of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe that is used in drinking water systems. The PVC was incubated for 7 days using warm temperatures similar to those in a poultry brooding house. After 7 days the PVC was transferred to municipal water that contained either chlorine or hydrogen peroxide based sanitizers at the drinking water rate to see the impact on removal of biofilm. Biofilm was shown to grow quickly under these conditions. While both sanitizers helped to decrease biofilm on the PVC, the chlorine was more effective than the hydrogen peroxide, and was able to completely eliminate the biofilm within 24 hours.

Technical Abstract: An in vitro experiment was conducted to understand the nature of biofilm growth on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surface when exposed to sub optimal quality microbial water (> 4 log10 cfu/ml) obtained from poultry drinking water source mimicking water in waterlines during the first week of poultry brooding condition. PVC sections (internal surface area of 15. 16 cm21) were utilized in the study to grow biofilm. After 7 days of test period, test coupons with 7 d old biofilm were transferred into autoclaved municipal water and then treated with either chlorine based or hydrogen peroxide based sanitizer at bird drinking water rate, to see the impact on removal of biofilm formed on test coupons. Two trials (T1 and T2) were conducted. Test coupons used in T1 and T2 had the bacterial growth of 3.67 (SEM 0.04) and 3.97 (SEM 0.11) log10 cfu/cm2 on day 7. After sanitizer application, chlorine based sanitizer removed bacteria in biofilm completely (0 cfu/cm2 ) within 24 hours post treatment whereas hydrogen peroxide based sanitizer reduced the counts to 1.68 log10 cfu/cm2 (P < 0.05) by 48 hours post sanitizer application. Control remained the same (P > 0.05). Results indicated that biofilm formation can occur quickly under suboptimal water condition on PVC surface, and sanitizer application helped mitigate already formed biofilm, yet chlorine proved to be more effective than hydrogen peroxide.