Vet World Vol.14 March-2021 Article-22
Research Article
Veterinary World, 14(3): 721-726
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.721-726
Prevalence of coliform bacterial contamination in cat drinking water in households in Thailand
2. Department of Community Health, Faculty of Public Health, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand.
Background and Aim: Bacterial contamination of drinking water is a leading cause of gastrointestinal infections. Cats may be at risk of water contamination from feces due to poor sanitation and hygiene. The objectives of the present study were to (1) evaluate the prevalence of coliform bacteria in cat drinking water and (2) identify possible risk factors leading to contamination.
Materials and Methods: Fifty-five drinking water samples were collected from water containers used by cats (median age [range]: 5 years [8 months-15 years]) at their home. Using a sterile syringe, 50 mL water was collected directly from water containers. The water samples were stored in coliform enhancement media for 24 h and then submitted for bacterial culture.
Results: The prevalence of fecal coliform contamination of cat drinking water was 67.27% (37/55; 95% confidence interval: 53.29-79.32%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of coliform bacterial contamination of drinking water by age or gender of the cat or by water container type. However, bacterial contamination differed significantly between shorthaired cats and longhaired cats when comparing Escherichia coli (9/44 [20.45%] vs. 8/11 [72.72%], p<0.001) and Enterobacter spp. (16/44 [36.36%] vs. 9/11 [81.82%], p=0.007). For water that had been in a container longer than 12 h, there were significantly more contaminated tap water samples (16/19 [84.21%]) than contaminated processed water samples (9/17 [52.94%], p=0.047).
Conclusion: Coliform contamination in cat drinking water is common and occurs more often in households with longhaired cats. Drinking water for cats should be changed every 12 h, especially for households using tap water. Keywords: animals, cats, coliform, contamination, Escherichia coli, hygiene, prevalence, water.
Keywords: animals, cats, coliform, contamination, Escherichia coli, hygiene, prevalence, water.
How to cite this article: Srikullabutr S, Sattasathuchana P, Kerdsin A, Thengchaisri N (2021) Prevalence of coliform bacterial contamination in cat drinking water in households in Thailand, Veterinary World, 14(3): 721-726.
Received: 13-11-2020 Accepted: 08-02-2021 Published online: 22-03-2021
Corresponding author: Naris Thengchaisri E-mail: ajnaris@yahoo.com
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.721-726
Copyright: Srikullabutr, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.