Impact of fertilization with pig or calf slurry on antibiotic residues and resistance genes in the soil

Antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes can enter the environment via fertilization with calf and pig manure. In a longitudinal study, nine antibiotic resistance genes (tet(B), tet(L), tet(M), tet(O), tet(Q), tet(W), erm(B), erm(F) and sul2) and 56 antibiotic residues were investigated in 288 soil samples and 8 corresponding slurry samples from 6 pig farms and 2 veal farms using qPCR and LC-MS/MS, respectively. A significant increase in gene copy number of tet(M), erm(B), erm(F) and sul2 was observed in all the soil layers between sampling times prior to (T1) and 2–3 weeks after fertilization (T3). Tet(B), tet(Q) and tet(L) were least abundant in the soil among the genes tested. From 7 classes of antibiotics, 20 residues were detected in soil and slurry using an optimized and validated extraction method. Flumequine was detected in all soil samples in concentrations below 100 μg/kg despite being detected in only half of the corresponding slurry samples. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, lincomycin and sulfadiazine were also frequently detected in concentrations ranging from 0.1 μg/kg to 500 μg/kg and from 2 μg/kg and 9480 μg/kg in soil and slurry, respectively. Furthermore a positive association between the presence of antibiotic residues (total antibiotic load) and antibiotic resistance genes in soil was found. One possible explanation for this is a simultaneous introduction of antibiotic residues and resistance genes upon application of animal slurry.