Risk Reduction of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria by Anaerobic Digestion and Electrochemical Oxidation for Manure Application

Survival of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in livestock manure during batch mesophilic anaerobic digestion and electrochemical disinfection process was investigated. Results with manure samples from three different farms showed a similar trend that numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria decreased after 10 or 20-day anaerobic digestion except for specific antibiotics. Electrochemical disinfection process decreased numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the anaerobically digested slurry. The result indicates that the batch mesophilic anaerobic digestion and electrochemical process can reduce relative risks of antibiotic-resistance bacteria in livestock manure.