Temporal signals in dairy cattle slurry and fertilized field soil resistomes and bacterial communities.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Dairy cattle waste is a globally significant source of organic fertilizer which contains a cocktail of microbes and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). These ARGs may present a risk to human and animal health, yet there is still limited farm-system-level understanding of how long-term and multiple slurry applications alter field soil resistomes and total microbial communities.

Methods

Using metagenomics, we assessed both immediate and longer-term changes in grassland field soil resistomes and bacterial communities over a year of routine cattle slurry application.

Results

Our findings suggest that soil microbial communities are resilient to bacteria and ARGs introduced via slurry, even after repeated applications. Most slurry-borne ARGs were not enriched i

SUBMITTER: Williams AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12865810 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature