Project
Title
Leibniz Research Alliance INFECTIONS: The role of livestock slurry tanks as AMR source
Acronym
IPT8
Start
01.10.2025
End
30.09.2029
Coordinating Institute
Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB)
Coordinator
Partner
Leibniz-Institut Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH
Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung e.V. (ZALF)
Leibniz Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei Berlin (IGB)
Leibniz-Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung im Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V.
Forschungszentrum Borstel - Leibniz-Zentrum für Medizin und Biowissenschaften
Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin
Allocated to research program
Summary
With steadily rising of global meat consumption and the growing number of livestock animals, antibiotic resistances (AMR) spread by livestock manure is an increasingly problem that affects animals, humans, and environmental health. Because manure is used as fertilizer for agricultural fields in the sense of a sustainable circular bioeconomy, there is a potential source of AMR transmission into the human food chain. In the interdisciplinary project team 8 (IPT8), we focus on a One Health approach to track the dynamics of microbial communities and fly larvae in livestock slurry tanks used for agricultural field fertilization. Here, different farm and laboratory slurry storage conditions will be studied with a focus on the persistence of AMR bacteria including foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, ESBL-producing E. coli and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. We aim to monitor the abundance of AMR and microbiome changes in farm and laboratory slurry tanks. The influence of seasonal temperature changes, slurry type and tank filling levels will be investigated. We will detect and quantify AMR pathogens in slurry with microbiological cultivation. To assess the microbiome diversity in slurry, 16S rDNA sequencing will be performed. The occurrence and uptake of AMR bacteria from slurry by flies will be investigated. The pathogen load of flies and their larvae will be determined by bacteriological and molecular techniques. The results from this research will enable us to deduce practical and effective measures to reduce AMR bacteria in livestock manure by identifying the optimal manure management conditions.
Funding
Senatsausschuss Strategische Vorhaben
Funding agency
Forschungszentrum Borstel - Leibniz-Zentrum für Medizin und Biowissenschaften
Funding framework
Bewilligung von Mitteln im Rahmen des Leibniz Forschungsverbunds INFECTIONS