Author
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Cotta, Michael |
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Zeltwanger, Rhonda |
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Whitehead, Terence |
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Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Storage of swine waste is associated with the production of a variety of odorous chemicals including ammonia, organic acids and alcohols, and sulfides. Much of this problem is due to the incomplete digestion process associated with anaerobic systems. In order to determine how a microbial species impacts the production of odor causing chemicals, representative strains of waste microorganisms need to be isolated, identified, and characterized. Fecal and waste storage pit samples were collected from a local swine production facility and plated onto a variety of selective and non-selective media. Viable counts for anaerobes in storage pit samples were 1 x 10**10/ml and 1.75 x 10**10/ml at depths of 3 ft and 6 ft, respectively. The total number of anaerobes in freshly voided feces were 1.1 x 10**11/g wet weight. Samples were also plated onto media containing tetracycline, erythromycin, or tylosin, and antibiotic resistant organisms were found in all samples. The level of resistance ranged from 4% erythromycin resistance in 6 ft pit samples to 32% tylosin resistance in 3 ft pit samples. Total DNA was isolated from randomly selected colonies from the highest dilutions of anaerobic media and DNA sequence analyses of PCR amplified 16S rDNA genes derived from eubacterial primers were carried out. Similarity analyses of the 16S sequences indicated the presence of primarily low G+C Gram-positive bacteria, such as Clostridium sp., Streptococcus sp., and Lactobacillus sp. in both pit and fecal samples. Many of the sequences were of unidentified microorganisms. The pure cultures obtained in these studies will be used to determine roles of specific organisms in the production of odor associated chemicals. |
