Spatial and temporal distribution of endotoxins, antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in the air of a dairy farm in Germany
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Date
2023-11-01
Publication Type
Journal Article
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Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious issue that is continuously growing and spreading, leading to a dwindling number of effective treatments for infections that were easily treatable with antibiotics in the past. Animal farms are a major hotspot for AMR, where antimicrobials are often overused, misused, and abused, in addition to overcrowding of animals.
In this study, we investigated the risk of AMR transmission from a farm to nearby residential areas by examining the overall occurrence of endotoxins, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the air of a cattle farm. We assessed various factors, including the season and year, day and nighttime, and different locations within the farm building and its vicinity.
The most abundant ARGs detected were tetW, aadA1, and sul2, genes that encode for resistances towards antibiotics commonly used in veterinary medicine. While there was a clear concentration gradient for endotoxin from the middle of the farm building to the outside areas, the abundance of ARGs and MGEs was relatively uniform among all locations within the farm and its vicinity. This suggests that endotoxins preferentially accumulated in the coarse particle fraction, which deposited quickly, as opposed to the ARGs and MGEs, which might concentrate in the fine particle fraction and remain longer in the aerosol phase. The occurrence of the same genes found in the air samples and in the manure indicated that ARGs and MGEs in the air mostly originated from the cows, continuously being released from the manure to the air.
Although our atmospheric dispersion model indicated a relatively low risk for nearby residential areas, farm workers might be at greater risk of getting infected with resistant bacteria and experiencing overall respiratory tract issues due to continuous exposure to elevated concentrations of endotoxins, ARGs and MGEs in the air of the farm.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
336
Pages / Article No.
122404
Publisher
Elsevier
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Subject
Antimicrobial resistance; Particulate matter; Livestock farming; Atmospheric dispersion model; Bioaerosols; Aerial transmission
Organisational unit
03887 - Wang, Jing / Wang, Jing
Notes
Funding
189880 - Emission quantification, transport modelling and risk evaluation of airborne antibiotic resistance genes from key sources in Zürich and Beijing (SNF)