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National & World Ag News Headlines |
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Study: Cattle-Associated Antibiotics Disturb Soil Ecosystems
USAgNet - 03/30/2017
Manure from cattle administered antibiotics drastically changes the bacterial and fungal make-up of surrounding soil, leading to ecosystem dysfunction, according to a Virginia Tech research team. The team analyzed soil samples from 11 dairy farms in the United
States, and found that the amount of antibiotic resistant genes was 200 times greater in soil near manure piles compared with soil that wasn't.
Furthermore, microbes with greater antibiotic-resistance showed higher stress levels. Their findings were published Wednesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"The development of antibiotic resistance can be an energy-sucker for a microorganism, and would explain why we've seen higher stress levels. We need to continue to investigate this possible link," said lead author Michael Strickland, an assistant professor of
biological sciences in the College of Science and researcher with Virginia Tech's Global Change Center.
Soil microbial communities are important for sustaining ecosystem services such as climate regulation, soil fertility, and food production. Perturbations, such as antibiotic exposure, can have marked effects on soil microbes and these services.
The use of antibiotics on livestock in the United States is a growing concern, especially in instances when they are used to prevent rather than specifically treat disease, according to Carl Wepking of Lancaster, Wis., a doctoral student in biological sciences in the
College of Science and first author on the paper.
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