Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in cattle is widespread because of the increased use of antibiotics to combat microbial diseases and enhance milk production. The cattle excreta released into the environment can be a potent source of contamination in spreading antibiotic resistance, especially upon its application in agriculture. However, the correlation of AMR profile of manure with other physico-chemical parameters is limited. Therefore, the study aimed to generate AMR profiles for manure samples collected from 25 different sites of two agriculturally important states in India, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Samples were tested for physico-chemical parameters, viz., electrical conductivity, pH, total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P), and total potassium (K). Bacterial community analysis was done by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. The influence of feeding practices, nutrient concentration, and bacterial abundance on antibiotic resistance profiles was observed in collected manure samples. Manures of intensive feeding animals harbored highly resistant profiles of bacteria as compared to natural grazing cattle.
Keywords: Animal manure; Antimicrobial resistance; Bacterial community; Environment; Nutrient concentration.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.