Evaluation of a Mobile Flow Cytometer as a Rapid Tool for Environmental Hygiene Monitoring in Broiler Farms

A high level of environmental hygiene is essential for maintaining flock health, growth performance, and welfare in broiler production systems. Effective hygiene monitoring is therefore an important part of farm biosecurity. Conventional plate culture methods are time-consuming and less suitable for rapid routine assessment directly on farms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of a mobile flow cytometer (MFC) as a rapid on-farm method for direct quantification of viable bacteria in broiler housing environments. Results obtained by MFC were compared with ATP-based luminometry and conventional plate culture methods.

Measurements were performed using the MFC CytoQuant (Romer Labs Division Holding GmbH), the EnSure luminometer (Hygiena LLC, USA), and cultivation methods assessing total microbial counts at 22°C on PCA agar, mesophilic counts at 36°C on blood agar, and Escherichia coli on HiCrome agar. Method comparisons were evaluated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient.

The detection capability of the MFC was verified under laboratory conditions using the reference strain E. coli CCM 3988. Significant correlations were observed between intact cell counts determined by MFC and mesophilic bacteria cultivated on blood agar (rSp = 0.764; p < 0.05), as well as E. coli cultivated on HiCrome agar (rSp = 0.669; p < 0.05).

Field monitoring was conducted in two commercial broiler houses. Surface samples were collected from drinkers and wall sections during depopulation, sanitation, and fattening periods. Correlations between luminometry and microbiological methods were not statistically significant, confirming that ATP monitoring reflects overall organic contamination rather than direct microbial presence. In contrast, MFC results correlated significantly with mesophilic microorganisms cultivated at 36°C (rSp = 0.731–0.792; p < 0.05). The findings suggest that MFC represents a promising rapid tool for environmental hygiene monitoring in broiler production.