Figure 2 - Effect of positive biofilm solution pre-treatment prevention on the development of S. Heidelberg and S. Gallinarum on different materials. Salmonella Heidelberg growth
Salmonella Gallinarum growth
10 8 6 4 2 0
-7.7 log -3.7 log -2.6 log -6.5 log 0h 24h 48h Polystyrene surface 0h 24h Organic litter
Depending on the material, S. Heidelberg and S. Gallinarum did not grow or showed limited growth when the positive biofilm solution was applied 24 hours before the contamination. In all cases, 48 hours post-challenge, the pathogen counts were sig- nificantly lower on all pre-inoculated materials. This in vitro study demonstrates that establishing a positive biofilm, after the cleaning and disinfection of surfaces or litter material, can help to reduce the recolonization of undesirable microorgan- isms that may be common in farm buildings, litter material or even carried by the birds entering a barn.
Preserving the poultry environment A commercial trial was conducted in a broiler barn. The posi- tive biofilm solution was applied at the recommended dose for poultry barns one day prior to the birds’ entry and then again after 15 days of animal production to reinforce the presence of beneficial bacteria around the birds. The feeder surfaces were sampled for microbial analysis. It was shown that the application of the positive biofilm solution led to the creation of a positive microbial biofilm (significant popula- tions of Bacillus spp. were used as an indicator of the positive biofilm) (Figure 3). As a result, total loss in the building where the positive biofilm solution was applied was reduced by 21% compared to the control building. By creating positive biofilms, this bacterial solution helps to maintain a safe microbial environment in poultry barns, as shown by reduced mortality and culling rates. In conclusion, farm biosecurity measures – including cleaning and disinfec- tion – influence the level of infection pressure before new an- imals enter the barn. Integrating a positive biofilm approach has been shown to be an effective tool to complement these measures. This has been demonstrated in commercial farm settings where it was used to improve the microbial environ- ment, resulting in a positive effect on animal health and improved production performance. In today’s One Health context, ensuring a safe microbial envi- ronment throughout the production cycle is a necessity and new approaches to biosecurity that combine disinfection with a practical microbial ecosystem management system look very promising for poultry production.
48h
10 8 6 4 2 0
-7.5 log -2.9 log -3.7 log
0h
24h
48h Polystyrene surface
0h
24h Organic litter
Figure 3 - Evolution of beneficial bacteria populations in the broiler environment - Day 0 corresponds to the entry of the chickens. 100.000
x 100
10.000 1.000 100 10 1
48h
D+4 Bacillus spp. Control
Positive biofilm solution D+7 Bacillus spp.
Biofilms explained
About 90% of the bacteria biomass on Earth is organised as biofilm. In nature, most bacteria do not live as free-floating cells. They are arranged into complex communities known as biofilms. A biofilm is defined as ‘a community of microor- ganisms fixed to a surface’. They secrete a protective extracellular matrix which can represent 85% of the biofilm biomass. Biofilm formation is a dynamic and evolutive cycle that consists of three main stages: attachment, development (and production of the extracellular matrix) and dispersion. A biofilm can be formed by either beneficial (i.e. positive biofilms) or undesirable (i.e. negative biofilms) bacteria. The properties of bacteria in a biofilm are very different from those of the same bacteria in their free-floating form. A major con- cern is that some pathogenic bacteria in a biofilm form can be 10 to 1,000 times more resistant to antimicrobials or disinfectants com- pared to isolated bacteria.
Biofilm formation References available on request. ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 10, 2021 37
Log CFU/well or g
Log CFU/m²
Control/ Positive biofilm solution Log CFU/well or g
P < 0.01
ILLUSTRATION: LALLEMAND
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