Determination of drinking water and wastewater quality in cattle farms

Water plays an important role in any livestock production system as it as an essential medium for animal metabolism as well as an important cleaning medium. It is important that the quality of the drinking water is maintained at a certain level so as to lessen the possible adverse effects on the animals. According to the National Water Quality Standards, any water source with a classification of Class III and less is deemed suitable for animal consumption. At the same time, most cattle farms in Malaysia do not do proper treatment of their wastewater before releasing them into water bodies such as drains, rivers and lakes. In this study 7 cattle farms were selected and both drinking water and wastewater samples were collected for analysis. The water samples were analysed in-situ and at the lab for the following 15 parameters; dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, electrical conductivity, turbidity, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solid, total dissolved solid, ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate, phosphates, total coliform, iron and magnesium content. The results were then compared with the National Water Quality Standards and the overall classification for each water sample was decided. The results for drinking water were as follows; 1 (14.29%) Class II, 2 (28.57%) Class III, 2 (28.57%) Class IV and 2 (28.57%) Class V. Meanwhile, all the wastewater samples were categorized as Class V

A review: drinking water and wastewater quality assessment in ruminant farms

Water is an essential part in any livestock production and it is more so in ruminant production that is highly water intensive. Water is not only essential as a medium of animal metabolism, but it is also an important cleaning medium. Therefore, it is important that the quality of drinking water is maintained at a certain level so as to lessen the possible adverse effects on the animals. Despite there has being some standards set by the various agencies on the minimal water quality deemed suitable for livestock consumption, they are still vague and this, combined with poor compliance and the water sourcing of dubious sources in ruminant farms makes it hard to regulate the drinking water quality in ruminant farms. This, in turn, might lead to possible adverse effects in livestock production due to water contaminants. At the same time, most ruminant farms in Malaysia do not do proper treatment of their wastewater before releasing them into water bodies such as drains, rivers and lakes which could lead to possible adverse effects to the environment

Change in immune biomarkers of laboratory mice responding to experimental inoculation of different drinking water quality from selected dairy farms

Current knowledge of abnormal physiological responses in livestock due to consumption of substandard water is limited. This study was designed to explore the host cell responses in mice orally inoculated with different drinking water qualities from selected dairy cattle farms. A total of 28 female mice used in this study were divided into Group 1- negative control (treated with sterile deionized distilled water), Group 2 - treated with good quality water sample, Group 3 - treated with moderate quality water sample, and Group 4 - treated with unsatisfactory quality water sample. All the mice were given 0.25 mL of water samples three times daily for 30 days. Blood samples were collected from all mice before euthanasia at 30 days post-inoculation for reproductive hormones and biomarkers analyses. All treatment groups showed significant (p<0.05) weight loss compared to the control group. There was a significant difference in the serum immunoglobulin-G (IgG), , immunoglobulin-M (IgM), interleukin-12 (IL-12), haptoglobin (Hp), and serum amyloid A (SAA) profiles of mice among the different water quality treatments as compared to the control group (p<0.05). In conclusion, the host cell responses exhibited by the mice in the treatment groups indicates a high risk of potential negative effect on the production and health of the livestock due to long-term consumption of drinking water with subpar quality

Assessment of drinking water and wastewater quality in dairy cattle farms and its adverse effects on host cell response in mice

Water is an essential medium for animal metabolism as well as an important cleaning medium and it must be maintained at certain quality to avoid adverse effects on the animals. According to the National Water Quality Standards, water source with a classification of Class III and less is deemed suitable for animal consumption. The chances for water quality to be substandard is as the possibility of farmers using water from a questionable water source exists. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the possible adverse effects in the livestock from drinking the substandard drinking water. In our best knowledge, most cattle farms in Malaysia do not practice wastewater treatment prior releasing it into water bodies such as drains, rivers and lakes and this can lead to environmental pollution and adverse health effects to the fauna in the immediate surrounding. In this study 7 cattle farms were selected and both drinking water and wastewater samples were sampled for laboratory analysis. The water samples were analysed in-situ and in the lab for 15 water quality parameters which are dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, electrical conductivity, turbidity, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solid, total dissolved solid, ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate, phosphates, total coliform, iron and magnesium content. The results were then compared with the National Water Quality Standards and the overall classification for each water sample was decided. Then, the water classification was further narrowed to three categories for the purpose of this study, namely, good category (Class I and Class II), moderate category (Class III) and unsatisfactory category (Class IV and Class V). The results for drinking water were as follows; 1(14.29%) Class II, 2 (28.57%) Class III, 2 (28.57%) Class IV and 2 (28.57%) Class V. Meanwhile, all the wastewater samples in this study were categorized as Class V. A total of 35 female mice were divided into 5 groups; Group 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 with 7 mice in each group. All the mice were gavage fed with 0.25 ml of water samples three times daily for a period of 30 days. Group 1 was fed with sterile deionized distilled water as the negative control, Group 2 was fed with the water sample from the good category, Group 3 was fed with the water sample from moderate category and Group 4 was fed with the water sample from unsatisfactory category. Meanwhile, Group 5 was fed with one of the wastewater samples. The mice were observed at regular intervals and any mice that require humane end-points were euthanized and blood was collected through cardiac puncture before post-mortem examination and preservation of visceral organs and the brain. At the end of the 30 days, all surviving mice were sacrificed and blood, visceral organs and the brain was preserved for serological and histological examinations. All treatment groups showed weight loss in comparison to the control group with the group treated with the wastewater showed most significant weight loss (p<0.05). Mice in groups 1, 2 and 3 did not show any significant clinical signs changes throughout the experimental period. In this experiment, 57%(n=4) of the mice from group 4 exhibited moderate emaciation and mild ruffled fur at the end of the experiment while all the mice (n=7) from group 5 exhibited clinical signs of severe ruffled fur, dehydration and severe emaciation and were euthanized to minimize pain. No significant gross lesions were observed in mice from groups 1, 2 and 3. Only 57% (n=4) of the mice from group 4 showed signs of moderate dehydration while all the mice from group 5 showed signs of severe dehydration. 28.5% (n=2) of the mice from group 2 and 14.2% (n=1) of the mice from group 4 showed subcutaneous abcesses. Several coliform bacteria were isolated and identified from the abcesses. Only mice from Group 5 showed significant decrease (p<0.05) in the serum estrogen levels in comparison to the control while no significant changes were observed in treatment groups in comparison to the control group for the serum progesterone levels. In terms serum Ig G concentrations, only the wastewater treatment group showed significant elevation (p<0.05) in comparison to the control group. The treatment groups 3, 4 and 5 showed significant elevation (p<0.05) in comparison to the control group in serum Ig M concentrations. The treatment groups 4 and 5 showed significant elevation (p<0.05) in serum Il-12 concentrations in comparison to the control group. Groups 3 and 4 showed significant elevation (p<0.05) in serum Hp concentrations in comparison to the control group while groups 3, 4 and 5 showed significant elevation (p<0.05) in SAA concentrations in comparison to the control group. Histopathological analysis revealed that both the kidneys and the livers from the mice in group 3 showed moderate inflammation and degeneration cellular changes. Severe inflammation and degeneration were observed in both the kidneys and livers in mice from groups 4 and 5 while moderate inflammation were observed in uterus and ovaries of mice from groups 4 and 5. At the same time, mild presence of inflammatory cells and oedema was observed in groups 3, 4 and 5. In conclusion, this study had proven that the drinking water provided for cattle consumption in most of the cattle farms are subpar as per the requirement set by the National Water Quality Standards. At the same time, due to a lack of wastewater treatment prior to its release to the environment, the quality of the wastewater is very poor and can become a source of pollution especially in cases where the farm is located nearby raw drinking water source areas. Based on the clinicopathological and serological symptoms exhibited by the mice in the treatment groups fed different qualities of drink water obtained from the dairy cattle farms, there is a high risk that there would be a negative impact in terms of production, reproduction and health from long term consumption of drinking water with subpar quality. Therefore, constant evaluation is required to ensure that the drinking water provided to the cattle in the dairy cattle farms are up to the standard for their consumption and the wastewater in the farms should be treated and evaluated before being released to the environment to avoid pollution

Prevalence of Moraxella ovis infection in goats under the Ladang Angkat Programme of University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis or pink eye disease is recognized as one of the common diseases affecting the small ruminant industry as well as an important factor affecting production in this industry. The purpose of this study is to know the prevalence of Moraxella ovis infection in goats, the economic impact of pink eye disease and the role of flies as a vector of Moraxella ovis in the goat farms under the Ladang Angkat Program of UVH, UPM. 60 goats were selected randomly from 4 farms (15 goats per farm) and subconjunctival swab samples were taken from the animals. At the same time, a fly trap was set and a questionnaire was posed to the owner regarding the status of pink eye disease in their farm. Both the subconjuctival swabs and the fly samples were cultured on blood agar and the colonies were screened using Gram staining to isolate the most likely colonies. The pure isolates were then subjected for conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect for Moraxella ovis. From the 60 goat samples, 18 samples (30.00%) were positive for Moraxella ovis with Farm B had the highest prevalence where 6 goats were positive out of 15 (40.00%) and Farm C had the lowest prevalence where only 3 goats were positive(20.00%) for Moraxella ovis. Meanwhile, none of the fly samples were positive for Moraxella ovis. The questionnaire revealed that 3 out of 4 farmers (75.00%) opted that pink eye disease is a problem in the farm but it is not a priority or important disease in the farm. The mean percentage of animals affected annually was 16.50% according to the farmers with Farm C had the highest percentage of 50.00% and Farm D had the lowest of 2.00%. The mean percentage of goats that showed emaciation following clinical signs of pink eye disease were 7.25% with Farm C had the highest percentage of 20.00% and Farm D had the lowest percentage of 1%. For treatment, 3 out of 4 farms (75.00%) only used eye ointment or spray for treatment while the other farm opted for systemic antibiotic in addition to the eye ointment or spray. Therefore, we have concluded that the prevalence of Moraxella ovis infection among the goats in farms under the Ladang Angkat Program of UVH, UPM is 30.00% and the mean annual infection of pink eye is about 16.50% with 7.25% showing significant emaciation following the manifestation of clinical signs

Assessment of Drinking Water and Wastewater Quality in Selected Dairy Cattle Farms from Malaysia

There is a paucity of published research information on the quality of water used in the Malaysian ruminant livestock production system. Also, there are growing concerns about the sanitation standards of ruminant farms as it affects the management of wastewater in Malaysia. This study was designed to compile preliminary data on the drinking water and wastewater quality in designated dairy cattle farms in the Klang Valley. Seven dairy farms were randomly selected and visited to collect samples of drinking and wastewater for laboratory analysis. The water samples were analyzed to determine dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, salinity, electrical conductivity, turbidity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate, phosphates, total coliform count, iron, and magnesium content. The means of various parameters were compared with the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS) to determine the appropriate classification. We further streamlined the rating of water quality into three broad categories, namely, good (Class I and II), moderate (Class III) and unsatisfactory (Class IV and V). Analysis of drinking water revealed 1(14.29%), 2 (28.57%), 2 (28.57%) and 2 (28.57%) farms were categorized as Class II, III, IV and V, respectively. Meanwhile, all the wastewater samples analyzed in this study were classified as Class V. This study provides preliminary data on the quality of drinking and wastewater in select dairy cattle farms in Malaysia. The obtained findings indicate that the quality of drinking water in most of the cattle farms is below the National Water Quality Standards