Efficient elimination of antibiotic resistome in livestock manure by semi-permeable membrane covered hyperthermophilic composting
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Published on: May 6, 2010
Bo Sun1, Zhihui Bai2, Rui Li3
1Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Abstract:
Livestock manure is a hotspot for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and an important contributor to antibiotic resistance in non-clinical settings. This study investigated the effectiveness and potential mechanisms of a novel composting technology, semi-permeable membrane covered hyperthermophilic composting (smHTC), in removal of ARGs and MGEs in chicken manure. Results showed that smHTC was more efficient in removal of ARGs and MGEs (92% and 93%) compared to conventional thermophilic composting (cTC) (76% and 92%). The efficient removal in smHTC is attributed to direct or indirect negative effects caused by the high temperature, including reducing the involvement of bio-available heavy metals (HMs) in co-selection processes of antibiotic resistance, decreasing the bacterial abundance and diversity, suppressing the horizontal gene transfer and killing potential ARGs hosts. Overall, smHTC can efficiently remove the resistome in livestock manure, reducing the risk to crops and humans from ARGs residues in compost products.
