Farm water as a possible source of fungal infections

The quality of drinking water depends on the water sources, but also on the quality of the water distribution system which supplies the water on to the final user. In addition, the possibility of contamination of water used for watering animals in the farm buildings depends on the hygienic conditions on farms. Microbiological quality of water on farms in Serbia has not been one of the main focuses of animal breeders, although according to the Food Safety Law water is considered as food. As feed safety for the animals, which includes microbiological analyses, is an important concern of breeder farmers, it is also important to control the water safety in order not to become a cause of the animal health problems. Change of the water quality is not important only from the sanitary epidemiological point of view, but the presence of different microorganisms, especially fungi, can cause changes in taste and smell, as organoleptic properties of water. According to legal regulations, there is no difference between the quality requirements for drinking water relative to the water supply intended for animals. For the aforementioned reasons, the subject of this study is microbiological control of water samples from the drinkers for animals at farms. The aim of the work is to examine which fungi are possibly present in the water and what their number is. In total, 35 samples of water from pig and poultry farms were tested. The method of direct seeding and filtration was used. The presence of different types of mold (Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Alternaria sp., Mucor sp. and Rhizopus sp., and Candida sp.) was determined. The results indicate the necessity of microbiological control of water for watering of farm animals, which implies the analysis for the presence of molds. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR31071