Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock
Published on: May 6, 2010
Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing Bacteria in Cow Manure Composting
Tingting Wang1, Lijun Cheng1, Wenhao Zhang1
1College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Composting is widely used to transform waste into valuable agricultural organic fertilizer. Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria play an important role in the global nitrogen cycle, but their role in composting remains poorly understood. In the present study, the community structure, diversity, and abundance of anammox bacteria were analyzed using cloning and sequencing methods by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the hydrazine oxidase gene (hzo) in samples isolated from compost produced from cow manure and rice straw. A total of 25 operational taxonomic units were classified based on 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, and 14 operational taxonomic units were classified based on hzo gene clone libraries. The phylogenetic tree analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and deduced HZO protein sequences from the corresponding encoding genes indicated that the majority of the obtained clones were related to the known anammox bacteria Candidatus "Brocadia," Candidatus "Kuenenia," and Candidatus "Scalindua." The abundances of anammox bacteria were determined by quantitative PCR, and between 2.13 × 105 and 1.15 × 106 16S rRNA gene copies per gram of compost were found. This study provides the first demonstration of the existence of anammox bacteria with limited diversity in cow manure composting.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
The Nitrogen Cycle
Amino Acid Catabolism
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation

