Abstract
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 Escherichia coli and Salmonella 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 E. coli 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 E. coli and antibiotic residues is shown to be higher in fattening calf slurry than in beef cattle farmyard manure used for agricultural field fertilization.
Highlights
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide threat to human and animal health
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 Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp
The occurrence of antibiotic resistant E. coli and antibiotic residues is shown to be higher in fattening calf slurry than in beef cattle farmyard manure used for agricultural field fertilization
Summary
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide threat to human and animal health. The worldwide intensive use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has accelerated the selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria [2]. Therapy failure of bacterial infections in humans and animals is one of the most important consequences of antibiotic resistant bacteria [3]. Despite the projected increases in antibiotic resistance the worldwide consumption of antibiotic agents remains high. In 2018, within 31 European countries 6431.4 tons of active substance of antibiotics were sold for food-producing animals, corresponding to an average of 103.2 mg veterinary antibiotic agents sold per PCU (population correction unit). In Belgium in 2018, 113.1 mg/PCU veterinary antibiotic agents were sold, which is above the European mean [6]. The resulting selection pressure can cause colonization of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the microbiota of the gut [8]
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