The Scoop On Poop: Connecting Manure Management To Antimicrobial Resistance
The global spread of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) organisms and spread of AMR-associated genes poses a serious threat to the safety of our food and public health while being responsible for increased hospitalization and mortality of both humans and production animals. The release of AMR genes and organisms and microbes in the environment from agricultural sources is considered a serious threat but little is known about their persistence and spread in the environment.
Elevated levels of resistant bacteria and resistance genes are finding their way into the environment through the land application of manure associated with animal production facilities. We propose to combat AMR in these systems by: developing improved tools to better indicate AMR risk in agroecosystems, identifying the best practices for mitigating AMR during manure storage and treatment, and providing a better understanding of how AMR develops during swine manure management. Our results will be directly communicated to producers and stakeholders through our long-standing manure management extension programs. Specifically, we propose to achieve the following research objectives, all of which are integrated into an extension objective to communicate research results with our partners.
Collaborators
Diana Aga, University of Buffalo Daniel Andersen, ISU Michelle Soupir, ISU
Funding
USDA NIFA