Introduction

The incursion of an avian pathogen into a commercial poultry flock can occur by vertical transfer¹ or through a variety of horizontal contacts between livestock, personnel, equipment, fomites_², feed and water.

Water is an essential nutrient and it is important that drinking water is free from microbial contamination that may result in disease in the poultry flock or cause food safety issues.

Contaminated water supplies have been implicated in the introduction and persistence of endemic pathogens³ such as Escherichia coli (E.  coli), Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) or egg drop syndrome (EDS), and in the introduction of emergency animal diseases (EADs) such as virulent Newcastle disease virus (vNDV) or avian influenza (AI).

This publication focuses on the risks of introduction of AI viruses through the use of surface water contaminated by wild waterfowl.

This paper will also predominantly focus on the commercial Australian poultry industry and types of poultry housing and husbandry normally practiced.