Inhibition of microbial metabolism in anaerobic lagoons by selected sulfonamides, tetracyclines, lincomycin, and tylosin tartrate

Abstract

Antibiotics are used to maintain healthy livestock and to promote weight gain in concentrated animal feed operations. Antibiotics rarely are metabolized completely by livestock and, thus, are often present in livestock waste and in waste-treatment lagoons. The introduction of antibiotics into anaerobic lagoons commonly used for swine waste treatment has the potential for negative impacts on lagoon performance, which relies on a consortium of microbes ranging from fermentative microorganisms to methanogens. To address this concern, the effects of eight common veterinary antibiotics on anaerobic activity were studied. Anaerobic microcosms, prepared from freshly collected lagoon slurries, were amended with individual antibiotics at 10 mg/L for the initial screening study and at 1, 5, and 25 mg/L for the dose-response study. Monitored metabolic indicators included hydrogen, methane, and volatile fatty acid concentrations as well as chemical oxygen demand. The selected antibiotics significantly inhibited methane production relative to unamended controls, thus indicating that antibiotics at concentrations commonly found in swine lagoons can negatively impact anaerobic metabolism. Additionally, historical antibiotic usage seems to be a potential factor in affecting methane production. Specifically, less inhibition of methane production was noted in samples taken from the lagoon with a history of multiple-antibiotic use.

Simultaneous determination of sulfonamides, tetracyclines and tiamulin in swine wastewater by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

“…Swine wastewater is a highly complex mixture consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, fats as well as various inorganic species [25]. On account of the significant matrix influence in the swine wastewater and diverse chemical properties of the nine antibiotics, an effective and simultaneous extraction of all the antibiotics was difficult to achieve.…”

“…Table 6 shows that except SML, all the other eight antibiotics were detected in different swine wastewaters with concentrations ranging from 0.62 to 32.67 g/L. Tetracyclines were detected in all the three swine wastewaters with relatively high concentrations (e.g., 25.36 g/L OTC in the Shunyi wastewater and 32.67 g/L CTC in the Haidian wastewater), implying that tetracyclines may be most commonly used in Beijing CAFOs. This agrees well with our survey information.…”

Effects of the antimicrobial tylosin on the microbial community structure of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor

“…Previous studies of macrolide inhibition in anaerobic systems provide contradictory results, ranging from negligible effects (Camprubi et al, 1988;Chelliapan et al, 2006;Masse et al, 2000;Poels et al, 1984;Stone et al, 2009) to substantial decreases in treatment performance (Amin et al, 2006;Loftin et al, 2005;Sanz et al, 1996;Shimada et al, 2008a). In anaerobic batch tests, the addition of tylosin has inhibited acetate, propionate, and butyrate uptake (Amin et al, 2006;Sanz et al, 1996;Shimada et al, 2008a).…”

Inhibitory effects of the macrolide antimicrobial tylosin on anaerobic treatment

“…Reports on the inhibitory effects of tylosin on anaerobic treatment performance (pH levels from 6.9 to 7.8) appear contradictory (Angenent et al, 2008;Chelliapan et al, 2006;Loftin et al, 2005;Masse et al, 2000;Poels et al, 1984;Sanz et al, 1996). Studies of ASBRs treating swine manure indicated that the addition of tylosin to the influent (up to 16.7 mg/L) had negligible effects on methane production and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency (Angenent et al, 2008;Masse et al, 2000;Poels et al, 1984).…”