Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate
Antimicrobial resistance is of global concern. Most antimicrobial use is in agriculture; manures and slurry are especially important because they contain a mix of bacteria, including potential pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes and antimicrobials. In many countries, manures and slurry are sto...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2016
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32674/ |
| _version_ | 1848794464912408576 |
|---|---|
| author | Baker, Michelle Hobman, Jon L. Dodd, Christine E.R. Ramsden, Stephen J. Stekel, Dov J. |
| author_facet | Baker, Michelle Hobman, Jon L. Dodd, Christine E.R. Ramsden, Stephen J. Stekel, Dov J. |
| author_sort | Baker, Michelle |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Antimicrobial resistance is of global concern. Most antimicrobial use is in agriculture; manures and slurry are especially important because they contain a mix of bacteria, including potential pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes and antimicrobials. In many countries, manures and slurry are stored, especially over winter, before spreading onto fields as organic fertilizer. Thus these are a potential location for gene exchange and selection for resistance. We develop and analyze a mathematical model to quantify the spread of antimicrobial resistance in stored agricultural waste. We use parameters from a slurry tank on a UK dairy farm as an exemplar. We show that the spread of resistance depends in a subtle way on the rates of gene transfer and antibiotic inflow. If the gene transfer rate is high, then its reduction controls resistance, while cutting antibiotic inflow has little impact. If the gene transfer rate is low, then reducing antibiotic inflow controls resistance. Reducing length of storage can also control spread of resistance. Bacterial growth rate, fitness costs of carrying antimicrobial resistance and proportion of resistant bacteria in animal faeces have little impact on spread of resistance. Therefore effective treatment strategies depend critically on knowledge of gene transfer rates. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:16:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-32674 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:16:37Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-326742020-05-04T17:38:32Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32674/ Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate Baker, Michelle Hobman, Jon L. Dodd, Christine E.R. Ramsden, Stephen J. Stekel, Dov J. Antimicrobial resistance is of global concern. Most antimicrobial use is in agriculture; manures and slurry are especially important because they contain a mix of bacteria, including potential pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes and antimicrobials. In many countries, manures and slurry are stored, especially over winter, before spreading onto fields as organic fertilizer. Thus these are a potential location for gene exchange and selection for resistance. We develop and analyze a mathematical model to quantify the spread of antimicrobial resistance in stored agricultural waste. We use parameters from a slurry tank on a UK dairy farm as an exemplar. We show that the spread of resistance depends in a subtle way on the rates of gene transfer and antibiotic inflow. If the gene transfer rate is high, then its reduction controls resistance, while cutting antibiotic inflow has little impact. If the gene transfer rate is low, then reducing antibiotic inflow controls resistance. Reducing length of storage can also control spread of resistance. Bacterial growth rate, fitness costs of carrying antimicrobial resistance and proportion of resistant bacteria in animal faeces have little impact on spread of resistance. Therefore effective treatment strategies depend critically on knowledge of gene transfer rates. Oxford University Press 2016-04-01 Article PeerReviewed Baker, Michelle, Hobman, Jon L., Dodd, Christine E.R., Ramsden, Stephen J. and Stekel, Dov J. (2016) Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 92 (4). pp. 1-10. ISSN 1574-6941 Antimicrobial resistance AMR horizontal gene transfer mathematical model dairy slurry http://femsec.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/4/fiw040 doi:10.1093/femsec/fiw040 doi:10.1093/femsec/fiw040 |
| spellingShingle | Antimicrobial resistance AMR horizontal gene transfer mathematical model dairy slurry Baker, Michelle Hobman, Jon L. Dodd, Christine E.R. Ramsden, Stephen J. Stekel, Dov J. Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| title | Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| title_full | Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| title_fullStr | Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| title_short | Mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| title_sort | mathematical modelling of antimicrobial resistance in agricultural waste highlights importance of gene transfer rate |
| topic | Antimicrobial resistance AMR horizontal gene transfer mathematical model dairy slurry |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32674/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32674/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32674/ |