Insights into Variable Effects of As (III) on the Fate of Antibiotics Resistance Genes and Microbial Community during Antibiotic Fermentation Dregs Co-composted with Swine Manure

Abstract

Composting is used commonly for the treatment and cycle utilization of solid organic wastes like antibiotics fermentation dregs (AFDs) and swine manure. Heavy metal arsenic is prevalent in those two matters as well. While its effects on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes and succession of microbial communities are still unclearly. Therefore, the lab-scale composting experiments with two exposure levels of As were established in this study. The results showed that co-composting could reduce the biological activity and toxicity of As effectively, and the bioavailable As contents had a higher potential ecological effects on the dissemination of ARGs rather than the total amounts of As. Additionally, correlations analysis indicated that the succession of bacterial community and bioavailable heavy metals were all response for the ARGs propagation during As-amended co-composting process, indicating that the changes of ARGs were driven by the combined effects of various factors during the co-composting process.