They picked up gene sequences that confer resistance to tetracycline at rates thousands of time higher downwind than upwind. And get this: Those tetracycline-resistant genes appeared at much higher rates than those typically found in the liquid manure lagoons that build up in beef feedlots—meaning that wind may be even more prolific than water at spreading antibiotic-resistant genes from the farm to the surrounding region. So how is all this nasty stuff moving from the feedlot to the surrounding air? The authors offer a simple explanation: The ground in feedlots consists primarily of urine and fecal material, the study notes. In the morning, all of that … stuff is relatively stable, held more or less in place by moisture from humidity. But after hours of sunlight, the floor material becomes dry and brittle, thus becoming source material for fugitive dust.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 15:49:32 +0000
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