Fate of Pirlimycin and Antibiotic‐Resistant Fecal Coliforms in Field Plots Amended with Dairy Manure or Compost during Vegetable Cultivation. Issue 3 (1st May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wind, Lauren; Krometis, Leigh‐Anne; Hession, W. Cully; Chen, Chaoqi; Du, Pang; Jacobs, Kyle; Xia, Kang; Pruden, Amy
• Is Part Of: Journal of Environmental Quality. Volume 47:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 436
• Page End: 444
• Publication Date: 2018-05-01
• Subjects: Agricultural ecology -- Periodicals; Environmental engineering -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Periodicals; 630
• DOI: 10.2134/jeq2017.12.0491
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0047-2425

Abstract

Abstract : Identification of agricultural practices that mitigate the environmental dissemination of antibiotics is a key need in reducing the prevalence of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria of human health concern. Here, we aimed to compare the effects of crop (lettuce [ Lactuca sativa L.] or radish [ Raphanus sativus L.]), soil amendment type (inorganic fertilizer, raw dairy manure, composted dairy manure, or no amendment), and prior antibiotic use history (no antibiotics during previous lactation cycles vs. manure mixed from cows administered pirlimycin or cephapirin) of manure‐derived amendments on the incidence of culturable antibiotic‐resistant fecal coliforms in agricultural soils through a controlled field‐plot experiment. Antibiotic‐resistant culturable fecal coliforms were recoverable from soils across all treatments immediately after application, although persistence throughout the experiment varied by antibiotic class and time. The magnitude of observed coliform counts differed by soil amendment type. Compost‐amended soils had the highest levels of cephalosporin‐resistant fecal coliforms, regardless of whether the cows from which the manure was derived were administered antibiotics. Samples from control plots or those treated with inorganic fertilizer trended toward lower counts of resistant coliforms, although these differences were not statistically significant. No statistical differences were observed between soils that grew leafy (lettuce) versus rooted (radish) crops. Only pirlimycin was detectable past amendment application in raw manure‐amended soils, dissipating 12 to 25% by Day 28. Consequently, no quantifiable correlations between coliform count and antibiotic magnitude could be identified. This study demonstrates that antibiotic‐resistant fecal coliforms can become elevated in soils receiving manure‐derived amendments, but that a variety of factors likely contribute to their long‐term persistence under typical field conditions. Core Ideas: Pirlimycin was only detected in soils amended with raw dairy manure. Persistence of ARBs in soil was dependent on antibiotic class and time. Compost‐amended soils had the highest levels of fecal coliforms resistant to cephalosporins. Antibiotic presence may not be the sole driver of resistance, as ARBs were found in all soils.