<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_jvetres-2020-0075_s_005_w2aab3b7c78b1b6b1aab1c14b1Aa"><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Silage quality deteriorates with <italic>Clostridium</italic> spp. contamination, and if consumed, such silage jeopardises herd health and productivity. Minimising its occurrence reduces economic and animal welfare risks. The study investigated the influence of environmental and technological determinants on the <italic>Clostridium</italic> genus’ occurrence in silage.</p></sec><sec id="j_jvetres-2020-0075_s_006_w2aab3b7c78b1b6b1aab1c14b2Aa"><h3>Material and Methods</h3><p>Analyses were conducted on 305 silage samples directly collected from farms located in all Polish provinces. Cultures and isolates were evaluated phenotypically and examined for occurrence of <italic>Clostridium</italic> spp., particularly <italic>C. perfringens</italic> and <italic>C. botulinum</italic> using PCR techniques. The results were statistically analysed using the ᵡ<sup>2</sup> test for continuous and Student’s <italic>t</italic>-test for non-continuous values.</p></sec><sec id="j_jvetres-2020-0075_s_007_w2aab3b7c78b1b6b1aab1c14b3Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>The most influential effect on <italic>Clostridium</italic> spp. occurrence is exerted by factors potentially associated with primary production, like the type of fertilisation and the contamination level of the ensiled feed material. <italic>Clostridium</italic> spp. was detected in 232 (76%) samples, and <italic>C. perfringens</italic> strains, predominantly toxinotype A, in 79 (26%). <italic>C. botulinum</italic> occurrence was not detected.</p></sec><sec id="j_jvetres-2020-0075_s_008_w2aab3b7c78b1b6b1aab1c14b4Aa"><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Deterioration of silage by clostridia could be prevented by a properly conducted ensiling process with the addition of starter cultures, but the presence of spores mainly depends on primary production and the extent of contamination of the feed material.</p></sec></abstract>

IntroductionSilage quality deteriorates with Clostridium spp. contamination, and if consumed, such silage jeopardises herd health and productivity. Minimising its occurrence reduces economic and animal welfare risks. The study investigated the influence of environmental and technological determinants on the Clostridium genus’ occurrence in silage.Material and MethodsAnalyses were conducted on 305 silage samples directly collected from farms located in all Polish provinces. Cultures and isolates were evaluated phenotypically and examined for occurrence of Clostridium spp., particularly C. perfringens and C. botulinum using PCR techniques. The results were statistically analysed using the ᵡ2 test for continuous and Student’s t-test for non-continuous values.ResultsThe most influential effect on Clostridium spp. occurrence is exerted by factors potentially associated with primary production, like the type of fertilisation and the contamination level of the ensiled feed material. Clostridium spp. was detected in 232 (76%) samples, and C. perfringens strains, predominantly toxinotype A, in 79 (26%). C. botulinum occurrence was not detected.ConclusionsDeterioration of silage by clostridia could be prevented by a properly conducted ensiling process with the addition of starter cultures, but the presence of spores mainly depends on primary production and the extent of contamination of the feed material.

Potential determinants of <italic>Clostridium</italic> spp. occurrence in Polish silage

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Potential determinants of  spp. occurrence in Polish silage

IntroductionSilage quality deteriorates with Clostridium spp. contamination, and if consumed, such silage jeopardises herd health and productivity. Minimising...

Potential determinants of Clostridium spp. occurrence in Polish silage

Published Online: Nov 06, 2020

Page range: 549 - 555

Received: May 20, 2020

Accepted: Oct 20, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2020-0075

Keywords
Poland, silage, toxins

© 2020 M. Goldsztejn et al. published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Potential determinants of Clostridium spp. occurrence in Polish silage

Published Online: Nov 06, 2020

Page range: 549 - 555

Received: May 20, 2020

Accepted: Oct 20, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2020-0075

KeywordsPoland, silage, toxins

© 2020 M. Goldsztejn et al. published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Poland, silage, toxins