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Heavy metals in liquid pig manure in light of bacterial antimicrobial resistance

Christina S Hölzel1, Christa Müller, Katrin S Harms

  • 1Chair of Animal Hygiene, Technische Universität München, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354 Freising, Germany. Christina.Hoelzel@wzw.tum.de

Environmental Research
|January 28, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Heavy metals like copper and zinc in pig manure increase bacterial resistance. However, mercury shows a counter-selective effect, potentially reducing antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Microbiology
  • Veterinary Medicine

Background:

  • Heavy metals are prevalent in liquid pig manure.
  • Potential interactions between heavy metals and bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are not fully understood.
  • Understanding these interactions is crucial for managing AMR in livestock environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between heavy metal concentrations in pig manure and the antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli.
  • To determine the impact of specific heavy metals on the resistance patterns of E. coli.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of heavy metal concentrations (cadmium, chrome, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc) in 305 pig manure samples using atomic spectroscopic methods.
  • Phenotypic resistance testing of 613 Escherichia coli isolates against 29 antimicrobial drugs.
  • Laboratory trials to assess the effect of subinhibitory mercury concentrations on bacterial resistance.

Main Results:

  • Elevated copper and zinc concentrations were significantly associated with increased E. coli resistance to beta-lactams.
  • Mercury presence was significantly linked to lower E. coli resistance rates against beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, and other antibiotics.
  • Subinhibitory mercury concentrations demonstrated a reduction in bacterial resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and doxycycline in laboratory settings.

Conclusions:

  • Copper and zinc in pig manure may contribute to increased antimicrobial resistance in porcine microflora.
  • Mercury in the environment might exert a counter-selective pressure against antimicrobial-resistant strains due to co-toxicity.
  • Environmental monitoring of heavy metals is important for understanding and mitigating AMR dynamics in livestock.

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