Testing the Efficacy of a Combination of Microwave and Steam Heat for Log Reduction of the Microbial Load following a Simulated Poultry Mass Mortality Event

In the event of a natural disaster or other unexpected devastation, the need arises for a means of waste treatment and removal. In the case of agricultural waste, specifically poultry, safe and effective disposal is paramount to avoid the serious side effects of disease and contamination of the surrounding environment and populations. In this trial, microwave radiation, coupled with steam heat, was used to treat organic waste (1,136 kg of culled turkey carcasses), designed to simulate a small-scale poultry mortality event. A total of 40 inoculated samples consisting of 20 Bacillus atrophaeus spore samples and 20 Salmonella enterica samples provided the criteria for testing the decontamination of poultry waste. The samples were inserted in the microwave unit with the organic waste at 5-minute intervals, post-grinding. Average transit time through the unit was 75 minutes. Subsequent bacterial colony enumeration was conducted using standard FDA-approved protocols and provided quantitative results for analysis. The system generated an approximate seven-log reduction in the microbial load of Salmonella and a five-log reduction in Bacillus spores. These results illustrate the potential effectiveness of using microwave radiation and steam heat technology for management of agriculture-based mass mortality events.

[1]  H. Doerr,et al.  Stability and inactivation of SARS coronavirus , 2004, Medical Microbiology and Immunology.

[2]  Richard F Edlich,et al.  Revolutionary advances in medical waste management. The Sanitec system. , 2006, Journal of long-term effects of medical implants.

[3]  C. Guidi‐Rontani.  The alveolar macrophage: the Trojan horse of Bacillus anthracis. , 2002, Trends in microbiology.

[4]  K. Watanabe,et al.  [Inhalation anthrax]. , 1994, Ryoikibetsu shokogun shirizu.

[5]  S. Lemon,et al.  Development of a more thermostable poliovirus vaccine. , 1997, The Journal of infectious diseases.

[6]  C. A. Pereira,et al.  [Photosensitivity and stability of freeze-dried and/or reconstituted measles vaccines (Biken CAM-70 strain)]. , 1990, Revista de Saúde Pública.

[7]  J. Saluzzo,et al.  Evaluation of SARS-Coronavirus Decontamination Procedures , 2007 .

[8]  G. Sofer,et al.  Virus inactivation in the 1990s -and into the 21st century. Part 6, inactivation methods grouped by virus , 2003 .

[9]  A Watson,et al.  Information on which to base assessments of risk from environments contaminated with anthrax spores , 1994, Epidemiology and Infection.

[10]  D. Cliver,et al.  Effect of acid pH, salts, and temperature on the infectivity and physical integrity of enteroviruses , 2005, Archives of Virology.

[11]  L F Diaz,et al.  Alternatives for the treatment and disposal of healthcare wastes in developing countries. , 2005, Waste management.

[12]  G. Pollex,et al.  Thermal inactivation of different measles virus strains. , 1991, Acta virologica.

[13]  T. Kafri.  Lentivirus vectors: difficulties and hopes before clinical trials. , 2001, Current opinion in molecular therapeutics.

[14]  F. L. Schaffer,et al.  Survival of airborne influenza virus: Effects of propagating host, relative humidity, and composition of spray fluids , 2005, Archives of Virology.

[15]  G. W. Parker,et al.  Anthrax vaccine: evidence for safety and efficacy against inhalational anthrax. , 1999, JAMA.

[16]  J. Sander,et al.  Selected methods of animal carcass disposal. , 2002, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

[17]  M. Sobsey,et al.  Antimicrobial Activity of Home Disinfectants and Natural Products Against Potential Human Pathogens , 2000, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

[18]  P. Brachman,et al.  Industrial inhalation Anthrax. , 1966, Bacteriological reviews.

[19]  Douglas K Owens,et al.  Systematic Review: A Century of Inhalational Anthrax Cases from 1900 to 2005 , 2006, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[20]  R. Desrosiers,et al.  Identification of Highly Attenuated Mutants of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus , 1998, Journal of Virology.

[21]  C. Raker,et al.  Mice transgenic for human CD4 and CCR5 are susceptible to HIV infection. , 1997, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[22]  俊郎 黒木,et al.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ホームページの活用法 , 2002 .

[23]  D. Trampel,et al.  Composting alternative for animal carcass disposal. , 1997, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

[24]  D. Weinstock,et al.  Survival of Avian Influenza Virus H7N2 in SPF Chickens and Their Environments , 2003, Avian diseases.

[25]  J. Melnick.  Thermostability of poliovirus and measles vaccines. , 1996, Developments in biological standardization.

[26]  M. Hugh-jones,et al.  The Sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak of 1979. , 1994, Science.

[27]  S. Joag.  Primate models of AIDS. , 2000, Microbes and infection.

[28]  M. Arita,et al.  Inactivation of human viruses by povidone-iodine in comparison with other antiseptics. , 1997, Dermatology.

[29]  V. Kiermer,et al.  Development of a sensitive assay for detection of replication-competent recombinant lentivirus in large-scale HIV-based vector preparations. , 2003, Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy.

[30]  Philip S. Brachman,et al.  Bacillus anthracis aerosols in goat hair processing mills. , 1960, American journal of hygiene.

[31]  R. Doms,et al.  Chemokine receptors as fusion cofactors for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) , 1997, Immunologic research.

[32]  Nancy Connell,et al.  Airborne Infection with Bacillus anthracis—from Mills to Mail , 2004, Emerging infectious diseases.

[33]  Dean A. Wilkening,et al.  Sverdlovsk revisited: Modeling human inhalation anthrax , 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[34]  D. R. Spiner,et al.  Effect of relative humidity on formaldehyde decontamination. , 1971, Applied microbiology.

[35]  L. Garber,et al.  Evaluation of risk factors for the spread of low pathogenicity H7N2 avian influenza virus among commercial poultry farms. , 2005, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.