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Project Human
Practices Team Notebook
The Problem<o:p></o:p>
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Chicken farms are
extremely important components of the agriculture industry in Peru, primarily
within the country’s coastal region where over half of the population of 32
million people lives. The majority of Peru’s inhabitants largely depend on
chicken in their daily diets, it being an easily accessible and abundant source
of protein, especially for a large number who live in poverty. Just as an
example, 12.5 million Pollos a la Brasa (a typical peruvian way of preparing
chicken) are consumed monthly. Most people purchase their groceries (including
meats) at open stall markets, which are breeding grounds for bacteria, rather
than at supermarkets. With Peru being largely centralized and most people
living in the capital, most chicken farms and processing plants are located
near Lima. The main chicken producing companies in Peru, San Fernando and Rico
Pollo, have established the bulk of their industry in Cañete, an impoverished
province south of Lima. Cañete suffers from high crime rates, little access to
clean water, and an unhygienic environment, all of which end up affecting the
functioning of the farms and plants. There is also scarce regulation of
facilities and bribery is commonly used to pass inspections.<o:p></o:p>
Feather waste
often accumulates within these facilities, which is a problem considering
feathers do not degrade easily as they are made up of 90% keratin. Keratin is
insoluble and contains sulfur-containing fibrous protein. Other than in
feathers, it’s found in skin, hair, nails, hooves, horns, scales, claws,
feathers, and teeth. It is synthesized by keratinocytes and is resistant to
degradation by general proteases. The polypeptide chains of keratin are
arranged into fibrous structures, made from α-keratins or β-keratins that are
held by hydrogen bonds and disulfide cross links. It’s supramolecular structure
provides keratin with rigidity. The degradation of keratin is a process that
requires the synergistic action of sets of enzymes such as keratinases, oxidoreductases
and cell wall-degrading glycosyltransferases. The buildup of feather waste is
very problematic as it contributes greatly to the transmission of Avian
Influenza and Campylobacter. Avian influenza persists in fallen feathers which
makes it spread to other chickens more easily and can quickly wipe out entire
populations. It can also be transmitted to humans who handle infected chickens
(which includes touching their feathers) and can be fatal, as it has killed 60%
of people infected since 1997. Peru depends largely on chicken so we need to
have a reliable and efficient method of preventing an avian influenza outbreak
from affecting the country. Campylobacter is a bacteria that is transmitted
among chicken populations through proximity and contact, and it can be found in
feather waste or in feces which often clings to feathers. Campylobacter is
transmitted to humans through chicken meat, which is more likely in Peru due to
poor sanitary conditions of transportation and distribution facilities.
According to El Comercio, 73% of Peruvians are affected by Campylobacter
(causing diarrhea, stomach pain, and death in the worst cases) at least once a
year.<o:p></o:p>
This issue is of
significant global relevance because Campylobacter affects people in countries
all over the world, especially those in poverty. Also, Avian Influenza is
prevalent worldwide, with many recent outbreaks and a few human deaths in Asia.
Research has shown that it is likely that many other diseases and bacteria have
increased transmission with buildup of feather waste. The poultry industry
faces difficulty in disposing of feather waste globally, with 2 million tons of
waste produced annually. (Tseng FCJ, 2011) An efficient way of accomplishing
this would provide an incentive for companies to fulfill this responsibility
they have and reduce transmission of diseases and bacteria between chickens and
to people. In terms of current solutions, chicken producing companies are
expected to properly dispose of feather waste through manual cleaning. In more
developed countries, laws and regulations are enough to ensure this but in
Peru, it is not feasible to expect government reform to solve this problem.
Existing microorganisms can degrade chicken feathers, including Bacillus
licheniformis, Fumigatus fresenius, and Fervidobacterium
islandicum. Peru has prevented large Avian Influenza outbreaks by limiting
imports from other countries but there have still been a few reported cases in
Lima.<o:p></o:p>