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Could vermicomposting reduce antibiotic resistance in cow manure?
December 30, 2024 by Bree Rody
Antibiotic resistance is a natural concern in livestock agriculture. Manure management has been thought to play a key component in understanding and managing antibiotic resistance – minimizing antibiotic resistance genes (also known as ARGs) is crucial for curbing dissemination of such genes. And, manure is thought to be a key pathway for understanding antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance.
But enter a potential solution for dissemination – but perhaps one previously not thought of as likely.
Vermicomposting is the resulting process – a completely natural one – from the practice of vermiculture, which is at its core the use of earthworms to assist in the composting process. Micro-organisms and earthworms work together to decompose organic material, which can produce a valuable soil amendment. While it’s commonly known as a practice for smaller, independent operations or even hobby farmers, it’s also been studied for application at the scale of medium- to large-sized – commercial – dairy farms.
So what’s the link between vermicomposting and antibiotic resistance?
A recent study from the ministry of agriculture and rural affairs in China and the resulting article published in Science Direct found vermicomposting can eliminate ARGs, although the effect of residual antibiotics on its reduction efficacy remains unclear.
For the study, Eienia foetida(fetida), known more broadly as the common earthworm, was employed to convert cow manure with varying concentrations of the antibiotic tetracycline – from absolutely none to 100mg/kg. Results showed the total ARG abundance in vermicomposting was significantly lower than that in natural composting. Exposure to tetracycline did result in higher total ARG abundance and stimulated microbial succession during vermicomposting, with some ARGs increasing and others decreasing. Despite this, ARG removal in vermicomposting was still higher even under tetracycline stress than that in natural composting.
While some unknowns remain, overall, vermicomposting could an effective method for reducing ARGs in cow manure even at high tetracycline levels.
Read the full scientific article here.