Sustainably fighting Salmonella

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella is a genus of bacteria that includes thousands of different species. They are adept at hiding because they can adapt to their environment, which could also be a human or animal. Salmonella bacteria typically live in the intestines of animals and humans. Why is Salmonella dangerous? It is a pathogen that causes salmonellosis. Why is it so elusive? In most cases, the disease is subclinical. This means that there are no clear symptoms, even though the bacteria are already present in the body and can be transmitted to others.

The symptoms of a Salmonella infection vary. It can cause mild stomach discomfort and diarrhea, but it can also lead to severe abdominal pain, fever, and dehydration. In some cases, the infection can be more severe and even life-threatening. This mainly affects high-risk groups, such as young children, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems. It is important to take measures to prevent Salmonella.

Preventing Salmonella

Fighting Salmonella and other microorganisms starts with hygiene and disinfection. It is crucial to keep the living environment of animals clean, especially in intensive livestock farming. This increases the animals' resistance, making them less susceptible to infections. A disinfection method can help with this. Unfortunately, traditional disinfectants contain harmful chemicals. The downsides of these chemicals include corrosion and sensitivity to water hardness. Moreover, these agents are often toxic and irritating to animals that come into contact with them.

The drinking water of livestock is the most common source of Salmonella contamination, especially when using surface or ditch water. Groundwater and tap water are not always safe either. Once in the barn, the water can become contaminated with the bacteria. This is the fastest way for all animals to become infected. Toxic pesticides with harmful chemicals are, of course, not an option here. Disinfection in a biodegradable way is a good alternative, and this can be done with Watter. It is the solution to effectively combat Salmonella in a sustainable manner.

Combating Salmonella in livestock farming

One of the places where you want to prevent and combat the Salmonella bacteria is in livestock farming. Your cows, chickens, goats, or pigs may carry the bacteria long before the symptoms of Salmonella become apparent. Even without visible symptoms, the animals suffer from it. Feed is less well absorbed, and logically, production will decrease. The disease often becomes more severe when the animal is weakened or stressed. The damage caused by Salmonella is also extremely costly for a dairy farm or an average-sized intensive livestock farm. Nutreco researched this, and the figures are significant: Salmonella causes between €5,000 and €10,000 in damage per year in this sector.

Salmonella in the food industry

Salmonella is not only a problem in livestock farming but also in the food industry. The bacteria can survive in both moist and dry environments, making it particularly difficult to combat. In dry products, Salmonella goes into a kind of dormant state. When water and food become available again, the bacteria wake up and can multiply once more. Combating Salmonella in dry products is challenging, so the focus is on prevention. When preventing Salmonella in the food industry, it is important to consider the entire supply chain and disinfect everything that can lead to contamination of the product’s environment. This includes not only your own company but also your suppliers and their surroundings. Does the product have access to pests? Is there contact with manure, infected people, or even pigeon droppings on the wheels of a forklift?

Fighting Salmonella with Watter

The Watter system offers a sustainable and safe solution for combating Salmonella. This system uses electrolysis to convert water and salt into a powerful, biodegradable disinfectant. In this disinfectant, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is the active substance. What’s the advantage of Watter? The concentration of the disinfectant can be kept low while still being effective against microorganisms. The solution is safe for humans, animals, and the environment and can therefore also be added as a disinfectant to the drinking water in your livestock farm.

Proven effective in combating salmonella

Watter prevents and removes salmonella and many other pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, molds and yeasts. Also consider the formation of biofilm in drinking water pipes. We had Watter tested by TNO and it is now officially registered on the European Article 95 list for disinfectants (PT1-5). This means that it complies with European Biocide Legislation. Are you ready to tackle your salmonella problem or threat? Contact us.

Interesting article about salmonella