Microbial community composition and antimicrobial resistance in agricultural soils fertilized with livestock manure from conventional farming in Northern Italy

Antimicrobials are commonly used in conventional livestock production and manure is widely applied to agricultural lands as fertilizer. This practice raises questions regarding the effects of fertilization on (i) soil microbiota composition (ii) spread antimicrobials antimicrobial resistance (AMR) environment. study was conducted a high-density farming area Northern Italy aimed at assessing impact (dairy cattle, chickens swine) application microbiome, concentrations gene (ARG) abundance. We found microbial community be different less diverse than soil, with altering only marginally microbiome. Exceptions were phyla Firmicutes, Tenericutes Cloacimonetes, which significantly enriched fertilized soil. Of investigated, flumequine increased after application, albeit non-significantly. ARGs more abundant manure, ermA, ermB, blaOXA-1 oqxA being Positive correlations between qnrS abundances observed, together co-occurrence some taxa (e.g. correlated Acidobacteria Gemmatimonadetes). showed that has little effect microbiome but may contribute dissemination specific into Moreover, residues seem enhance emergence