Manure is commonly used as a fertilizer or soil conditioner; however, land application of untreated manure may introduce pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) into the soil, with harmful implications for public health. Composting is a manure management practice wherein a carbon-rich bulking agent, such as corn (Zea mays L.) stalk residue, is added to manure to achieve desirable carbon/nitrogen ratios to facilitate microbial activities and generate enough heat to inactivate pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens. However, when comparing compost piles and stockpiles for ARB reduction, we noticed that bulking agents added ARB to composting piles and compromised the performance of composting in reducing ARB. We hypothesized that ARB could be prevalent in corn stalk residues, a commonly used bulking agent for composting. To test this hypothesis, corn stalk residue samples throughout Nebraska were surveyed for the presence of ARB. Of the samples tested, 54% were positive for antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli or enterococci using direct plating or after enrichment. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend wherein the use of pesticides tended to result in a greater prevalence of some ARB. Results from this study suggest that bulking agents can be a source of ARB in manure composting piles and highlight the importance of screening bulking agents for effective ARB reduction in livestock manure during composting.

中文翻译：

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玉米秸秆残留物可能会给粪便堆肥堆添加抗生素抗性细菌

粪便通常用作肥料或土壤改良剂；然而，未经处理的粪便的土地施用可能会将病原体和抗生素抗性细菌 (ARB) 引入土壤，对公共健康产生有害影响。堆肥是一种粪便管理实践，其中将富含碳的填充剂，如玉米 (Zea mays L.) 秸秆残留物添加到粪便中，以达到理想的碳/氮比，以促进微生物活动并产生足够的热量来灭活病原体，包括抗生素抗性病原体。然而，当比较堆肥和堆肥以减少 ARB 时，我们注意到膨胀剂将 ARB 添加到堆肥堆中，并损害了堆肥在减少 ARB 方面的性能。我们假设 ARB 可能在玉米秸秆残留物中普遍存在，玉米秸秆残留物是一种常用的堆肥填充剂。为了检验这一假设，对整个内布拉斯加州的玉米秸秆残留样品进行了调查，以确定是否存在 ARB。在测试的样本中，54% 的样本使用直接接种或富集后对抗生素耐药性大肠杆菌或肠球菌呈阳性。尽管在统计上不显着，但有一种趋势，即使用杀虫剂往往会导致某些 ARB 的流行。这项研究的结果表明，填充剂可能是粪便堆肥堆中 ARB 的来源，并强调了筛选填充剂以有效减少堆肥过程中牲畜粪便中 ARB 的重要性。使用直接接种或富集后，54% 的抗生素耐药性大肠杆菌或肠球菌呈阳性。尽管在统计上不显着，但有一种趋势，即使用杀虫剂往往会导致某些 ARB 的流行。这项研究的结果表明，填充剂可能是粪便堆肥堆中 ARB 的来源，并强调了筛选填充剂以有效减少堆肥过程中牲畜粪便中 ARB 的重要性。使用直接接种或富集后，54% 的抗生素耐药性大肠杆菌或肠球菌呈阳性。尽管在统计上不显着，但有一种趋势，即使用杀虫剂往往会导致某些 ARB 的流行。这项研究的结果表明，填充剂可能是粪便堆肥堆中 ARB 的来源，并强调了筛选填充剂以有效减少堆肥过程中牲畜粪便中 ARB 的重要性。