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Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock
Published on: May 6, 2010
High temperature and humification reduce DNA viruses in food waste composting
Miaolian Hua1, Yanbing Xiao2, Xiaofei Xue3
1Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
The fate of DNA viruses (phage and non-phage viruses) was investigated in a full-scale food waste (FW) facility. Composting reduced DNA virus abundance in FW by 74.8-88.9 % and diversity by 67.8-69.7 %, regardless of phage and non-phage viruses. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were identified as the primary hosts, with most phages encoding functional genes linked to carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Despite the beneficial role of DNA viruses, their abundance in untreated food waste was 4.7 times higher than in soil. High temperature and humification (indicated by humus content and germination index (GI)) could inhibit both phage and non-phage viruses in FW, leading to a reduction in their abundance, similar to what is observed in soil. In conclusion, DNA viruses, particularly phages, contribute to the composting process by participating in carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Enhancing the thermophilic period and humification degree may help mitigate the risks associated with these viruses in composting products.
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