Artificially decreased dissolved oxygen increases the persistence of in water.

Water containing organic material has been shown to increase the persistence of the avian pathogenic protozoa, . We hypothesized that the decrease in dissolved oxygen due to microbes in the organic material could increase persistence of the microaerophilic trichomonads. Using simulated birdbaths, we determined 1) the levels of dissolved oxygen in distilled water with various amounts of organic material, 2) the concentration of the oxygen-scavenging enzyme Oxyrase needed to achieve the dissolved oxygen levels obtained in organic material contaminated water, and finally, 3) the persistence of two isolates in Oxyrase®-supplemented water.