Presence of Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Cattle Manure Intended for Fertilization of Agricultural Fields: A One Health Perspective

• Main Authors: Judith Huygens (Author), Els Daeseleire (Author), Jacques Mahillon (Author), Daan Van Elst (Author), Johan Decrop (Author), Jurgen Meirlaen (Author), Jeroen Dewulf (Author), Marc Heyndrickx (Author), Geertrui Rasschaert (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2021-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues can enter the environment when using animal manure as fertilizer. Twenty-five mixed beef cattle farmyard manure samples and 9 mixed fattening calf slurry samples from different farms across Belgium were investigated for the presence of 69 antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Salmonella</i> spp. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, flumequine and lincomycin were detected in all fattening calf slurry samples with mean concentrations of 2776, 4078, 48, 31, 536 and 36 µg/kg manure, respectively. Sulfadiazine was detected at a mean concentration of 10,895 µg/kg. Further, antibiotic residues were found in only 4 of the 25 beef cattle farmyard manure samples. Oxytetracycline was detected twice below 500 µg/kg. Paromomycin, ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin were detected in a concentration below 100 µg/kg. Of <i>E. coli</i> isolates, 88% and 23% from fattening calf slurry and beef cattle farmyard manure, respectively, were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. Multi-drug resistance was observed at a maximum of 10 and 7 antibiotics, respectively. The occurrence of antibiotic resistant <i>E. coli</i> and antibiotic residues is shown to be higher in fattening calf slurry than in beef cattle farmyard manure used for agricultural field fertilization.

Item Description

10.3390/antibiotics10040410
2079-6382