Antibiotics, Bacteria, and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Aerial Transport from Cattle Feed Yards via Particulate Matter

McEachran, Andrew D.; Blackwell, Brett R.; Hanson, John D.; Wooten, Kimberly J.; Mayer, Gregory D.; Cox, Stephen B.; Smith, Philip

doi:10.1289/ehp.1408555

Cited by 315 publications

(223 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Widespread manure distribution, either through feedlots or land spreading can facilitate the dissemination of ARGs (Aust et al, 2008; McEachran et al, 2015; Wang et al, 2015). In addition, several antibiotics have been recorded downwind of feedlots at concentrations similar to that found in rivers downstream of sewage outlets (0.5 to 4.6 μg/g).…”

Section: Relevance Of Amr To Environmental Regulators?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment and Its Relevance to Environmental Regulators

et al. 2016

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The environment is increasingly being recognized for the role it might play in the global spread of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance. Environmental regulators monitor and control many of the pathways responsible for the release of resistance-driving chemicals into the environment (e.g., antimicrobials, metals, and biocides). Hence, environmental regulators should be contributing significantly to the development of global and national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plans. It is argued that the lack of environment-facing mitigation actions included in existing AMR action plans is likely a function of our poor fundamental understanding of many of the key issues. Here, we aim to present the problem with AMR in the environment through the lens of an environmental regulator, using the Environment Agency (England’s regulator) as an example from which parallels can be drawn globally. The issues that are pertinent to environmental regulators are drawn out to answer: What are the drivers and pathways of AMR? How do these relate to the normal work, powers and duties of environmental regulators? What are the knowledge gaps that hinder the delivery of environmental protection from AMR? We offer several thought experiments for how different mitigation strategies might proceed. We conclude that: (1) AMR Action Plans do not tackle all the potentially relevant pathways and drivers of AMR in the environment; and (2) AMR Action Plans are deficient partly because the science to inform policy is lacking and this needs to be addressed.

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Section: Relevance Of Amr To Environmental Regulators?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment and Its Relevance to Environmental Regulators

et al. 2016

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“…Though somewhat unexpected, feedyards may have indeed been the source of compounds with in vitro estrogenic potential in upwind PM samples, since changes in the prevailing wind direction may have deposited PM in the upwind direction prior to the day of PM sample collection. Previous studies have also detected feedyard particles (Huang et al, 2013) and affiliated antibiotics (McEachran et al, 2015) in samples collected immediately upwind of feedyards. Estrogens are more stable than androgens (testosterone; Mansell et al, 2011), which may explain why estrogen-mediated, but not androgen-mediated, in vitro activity was produced by upwind PM sample extracts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Airborne particulate matter collected near beef cattle feedyards induces androgenic and estrogenic activity in vitro

Wooten

Blackwell

McEachran

et al. 2015

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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“…Particulate matter (PM) collected downwind from cattle feeding yards has been shown to contain antibiotics, bacteria, and antibiotic resistant genes (McEachran et al 2015). Further, PM less than 10µm in diameter (PM 10 ) has been measured as far as 3.5 km downwind of these facilities (Hiranuma et al 2011), suggesting that animal operations may serve as exposure sources for neighboring communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock and poultry density and childhood cancer incidence in nine states in the USA

Booth

Jones

Turyk

et al. 2017

Environmental Research

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Background Parental occupational and childhood exposures to farm animals have been positively associated with childhood brain tumors, whereas associations with childhood leukemia are equivocal. The developing immune system may be influenced by allergen, virus, or other exposures from animal sources, which may contribute to childhood cancer incidence. Methods Incident cancers (acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL], acute myeloid leukemia [AML], central nervous system [CNS], peripheral nervous system [PNS]) for children aged 0–4 diagnosed between 2003 and 2008 were obtained from nine National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries and were linked to U.S. Census of Agriculture data from 2002 and 2007 by county of diagnosis. Animal densities (animal units [AU]/km2; one animal unit is 1,000 pounds of animal weight) were estimated for hogs, cattle, chickens (layers and broilers, separately), equine (horses, ponies, mules, burros, donkeys), goats, sheep, turkeys, and total animals. Animal density was examined in models as both continuous (AU per km2) and categorical variables (quartiles). Animal operation densities (per km2) by size of operation (cattle, hogs, chickens, sheep) were modeled continuously. Rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression. Results We found positive associations between AML and broiler chicken densities (RRper 10 AU/km2=1.14, 95% CI=1.02–1.26). ALL rates increased with densities of hog operations (RRper operation/100 km2=1.06, 95% CI=1.02–1.11). PNS cancer rates were inversely associated with layer chicken density (RRper log of AU/km2=0.94, 95% CI=0.89–0.99). No association was found between any cancer type and densities of cattle, equine, or goats. Conclusions Although limited by the ecologic study design, some of our findings are novel and should be examined in epidemiological studies with individual level data.

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Antibiotics, Bacteria, and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Aerial Transport from Cattle Feed Yards via Particulate Matter

Cited by 315 publications

References 57 publications

Review of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment and Its Relevance to Environmental Regulators

Review of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment and Its Relevance to Environmental Regulators

Airborne particulate matter collected near beef cattle feedyards induces androgenic and estrogenic activity in vitro

Livestock and poultry density and childhood cancer incidence in nine states in the USA

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