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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2024

Dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes during manure composting: Reduction in herbivores manure and accumulation in carnivores.

The elevated levels of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock manure represent a significant threat to both the environment and human health. Composting has been recognized as an effective strategy to mitigate the abundance of ARGs in manure. However, notable rebounds in ARGs abundance have been observed during this process. This study explored the changes in ARGs abundance and the underlying influencing factors during the composting of carnivore (chicken and pig) and herbivore (sheep and cow) manures, along with mushroom residues. The findings revealed that the total relative abundance of ARGs increased by 6.96 and 10.94 folds in chicken and pig manure composts, respectively, whereas it decreased by a remarkable 91.72% and 98.37% in sheep and cow manure composts. Nitrogen content emerged as the primary physicochemical factors governing the abundance of ARGs in chicken and pig manure composts. Conversely, carbon content played a pivotal role in determining ARGs abundance in chicken and pig manure composts. Furthermore, the presence of dominant hosts, such as Corynebacterium, Bacillus, and Clostridium, along with emerging bacteria like Thermobifida, Saccharomonospora, and Actinomadura, contributed significantly to the enrichment of total ARGs, including tetG, tetO, tetX, and sul2, in chicken and pig manure composts. The coexistence of these genes with mobile genetic elements and a plethora of host bacteria, coupled with their high abundance, renders them particularly high-risk ARGs. On the other hand, the observed decrease in the abundance of total ARGs in sheep and cow manure composts can be attributed to the decline in the population of host bacteria, specifically Atopostipes, Psychrobacter, and Corynebacterium. Collectively, these results provide crucial insights into the management of ARGs risks and offer essential theoretical support for enhancing the safe utilization of organic fertilizer in agriculture.

Manure↗
PubMed2025

Comparative analysis of antibiotic resistance genes between fresh pig manure and composted pig manure in winter, China.

Antibiotic resistance is a critical global public health issue. The gut microbiome acts as a reservoir for numerous antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which influence both existing and future microbial populations within a community or ecosystem. However, the differences in ARG expression between fresh and composted feces remain poorly understood. In this study, we collected eight samples from a farm in Kaifeng City, China, comprising both fresh and composted pig manure. Using a high-throughput quantitative PCR array, we analyzed differences in ARG expression between these two types of manure. Our findings revealed significant differences in ARG profiles, as demonstrated by principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Further analysis identified 39 ARGs (log2FC > 1, p < 0.05) in composted pig manure, with 25 genes downregulated and 14 upregulated. Notably, tetB-01, blaOCH, and blaOXY were the most abundant in composted pig manure compared to fresh manure. Additionally, 16S rRNA species profiling revealed that the composting process significantly altered the microbial community structure, with an increased abundance of Firmicutes and a decreased abundance of Bacteroidetes in composted pig manure. In summary, composting substantially transforms both the microbial community structure and the ARG profile in pig manure, underscoring its potential role in modulating the dynamics of ARGs in agricultural environments.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

[Comparison in vitro between farm-yard manure and liquid manure (author's transl)].

Spreading of liquid manure in a grassland ecosystem, stable since a long time when treated with farm-yard manure, brings out a great unbalance in the soil. In comparison of farm-yard manure, the liquid manure involves -- a decrease of C and N in the soil, -- a deterioration of the soil structure, -- a dangerous change in the CEC for K+ and Na+, -- an excessive stimulation of the microflora. In brief, through its composition the liquid manure involves a hyperactivity of the microglora. This heterotropic microflora is particularly mineralizing and breaks down the organic matter. The result is a temporary increase in fertility. But this stimulation of the soil life disbalances the eco-system in which -- the pool of organic matter decreases without replacement, -- the content in Ca++ and Mg++ decreases to the benefit of K+ and Na+.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2026

Virus-mediated fate of antimicrobial resistance genes in livestock manure anaerobic digestion.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical global health challenge, with livestock manure acting as a significant environmental reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a pivotal process for mitigating ARG dissemination at the livestock-environment-human interface. This study aims to elucidate the global dynamics of ARGs in AD systems, focusing on virus-host interactions and arms race, to identify actionable strategies for AMR control. We analyzed 205 metagenomic (4.5&#x202f;Tb) and 36 meta-transcriptomic (640 Gb) datasets, including 15 newly generated datasets, revealing that pig manure AD harbors the highest ARG abundance (0.668 ARGs/16S rRNA), while AD systems generally exhibit limited transcriptional activation of ARGs. We constructed a viral dataset for livestock manure AD (GVD_LMAD), comprising 59,316 DNA and 727 RNA viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs). Virus-host interactions established by CRISPR-Cas spacer, tRNA and homology matches revealed 889 lytic infections of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) compared to only 18 ARG transduction events. Further analysis showed that the relative abundance of vOTUs assigned to the reduction role (4.11% &#xb1; 3.19%) was substantially higher than that of reproduction (0.72% &#xb1; 0.64%) and transduction (0.19% &#xb1; 0.30%), demonstrating that, among viral processes, lysis outweighs transduction in contributing to ARG abundance reduction in AD. Furthermore, an antiviral defense system (ADS) catalogue (GADSC_LMAD), derived from 2760 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) containing 39,307 ADS, with ADS prevalence in ARB (7.8&#x202f;&#xb1;&#x202f;6.0 per MAG), indicating an intensified virus-host arms race in AD that may shield ARB from phage lysis. The resulting CRISPR-Cas immune network with expressed spacers targets foreign ARG-carrying sequences (primarily plasmids and ICEs), suggesting a mechanism that restricts horizontal gene transfer (HGT) via conjugation and transformation, despite shielding ARB from phage lysis. Collectively, these findings highlight that viral communities significantly contribute to ARG reduction through phage lysis relative to transduction, while the ADS-mediated arms race, despite protecting ARB, constructs a biological firewall that potentially limits HGT of ARGs. This study provides novel insights into virus-host dynamics as a key mechanism for controlling ARG dissemination in AD systems.

Animals↗
PubMed2025

Genomic insights into Shigella species isolated from small ruminants and manure in the North West Province, South Africa.

This study investigated Shigella species' antibiotic resistance patterns and genomic characteristics from small ruminants and manure collected in Potchefstroom, North West, South Africa. Whole genome sequencing was used to determine resistome profiles of Shigella flexneri isolates from small ruminants' manure and Shigella boydii from sheep faeces. Comparative genomics was employed on the South African 261 S. flexneri strains available from GenBank, including the sequenced strains in this study, by investigating the serovars, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and plasmid replicon types. The S. flexneri strains could not be assigned to known sequence types, suggesting novel or uncharacterized lineages. S. boydii R7-1A was assigned to sequence type 202 (ST202). Serovar 2A was the most common among South African S. flexneri strains, found in 96% of the 250 compared human-derived isolates. The shared mdf(A) was the most prevalent gene, identified in 99% of 261 S. flexneri genomes, including plasmid replicon types ColRNAI_1 (99%) and IncFII_1 (98%). Both species share a core set of resistance determinants mainly involving &#x3b2;-lactams (ampC1, ampC, ampH), macrolides (mphB), polymyxins (eptA, pmrF), multidrug efflux pumps (AcrAB-TolC, Mdt, Emr, Kpn families), and regulatory systems (marA, hns, crp, baeRS, evgAS, cpxA, gadX). However, S. boydii possesses additional resistance genes conferring resistance to tetracyclines (tet(A)), phenicols (floR), sulphonamides (sul2), and aminoglycosides (APH(3'')-Ib, APH(6)-Id), along with the acrEF efflux pump components (acrE, acrF). In contrast, S. flexneri harboured unique genes linked to polymyxin resistance (ugd) and regulatory functions (sdiA, gadW) that were absent in S. boydii. These findings highlight Shigella strains' genomic diversity and antimicrobial resistance potential in livestock-associated environments. Moreover, S. boydii highlights the potential risk of multidrug-resistant bacteria in farming and environmental routes. KEY POINTS: &#x2022; First whole genome study of Shigella from manure and small ruminants in South Africa. &#x2022; Shigella boydii strain carried multiple resistance genes to &#x3b2;-lactams and tetracycline. &#x2022; Multidrug efflux pump gene mdf(A) was detected in 99% of South African Shigella flexneri strains.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Cattle manure suppresses methane consumption and enhances denitrification-associated nitrous oxide production in farm dams.

BACKGROUND: Farm dams (or agricultural ponds) are often heavily polluted freshwater systems because of nutrient-rich manure entering the water through direct deposition and runoff. Accordingly, these systems have among the highest greenhouse gas emissions per area, accounting for 41% of global freshwater methane emissions. Sustainable management actions, such as limiting livestock access through fencing, can significantly reduce nutrient concentrations and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the microbes, processes, and factors controlling greenhouse gas cycling in these systems have not been described. Here, we systematically compared the composition, functions, and activities of the microbes in paired fenced and unfenced cattle farm dams in southeastern Australia. RESULTS: We found that in situ methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were strongly reduced in fenced dams. Even though methanogen abundance was higher in fenced dams, fencing increased levels of aerobic methanotrophs, including two previously uncharacterised, metabolically flexible species profiled via metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). In contrast, we provide gene- and genome-centric evidence that N2O emissions are likely higher in unfenced dams due to increased production (via denitrification) rather than decreased consumption. Manure likely increases CH4 and N2O emissions primarily by driving nutrient-induced eutrophication and hypoxia that, respectively, stimulate denitrifiers and inhibit methanotrophs. However, we also provide evidence that manure-associated methanogens and bacteria occur in farm dams, where they potentially enhance emissions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight how anthropogenic activities such as livestock farming can impact microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling, thereby increasing greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater systems, and how simple management actions like fencing can mitigate such emissions. Video Abstract.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Optimizing a culture-enriched hybrid metagenomics pipeline to assess the AMR footprint of livestock manure in anaerobic digestate.

The role of environmental samples from livestock production systems, including manure and anaerobic digestate, as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) is likely underestimated because conventional metagenomic approaches can overlook low-abundance ARGs and often lack the resolution to associate these genes with their microbial hosts and co-localized mobile genetic elements (MGEs). We evaluated whether culture-enriched metagenomics (CEMG), with and without antibiotic selection, enhances ARG detection in anaerobic digestate and improves the resolution of ARG-MGE-host associations using hybrid short- and long-read metagenomic assembly. CEMG increased ARG recovery; mean ARG abundance rose from 15.4 counts per million (CPM) in metagenomic fresh digestate (FD) to 124 CPM in CEMG without antibiotics and 160 CPM in antibiotic-selective CEMG. In FD, only 9 unique ARGs were detected, whereas CEMG recovered 112, including ARGs of clinical importance, such as glycopeptide resistance, beta-lactamase genes, and the cfr 23S rRNA methyltransferase conferring cross-resistance to multiple antibiotic classes. Antibiotic selection induced targeted, class-specific shifts in ARG profiles, with ARGs associated with tetracycline resistance consistently enriched across treatments. Hybrid metagenomic assembly resolved the genomic context of 784 ARGs, of which 59.3% were co-localized with at least one class of MGEs, predominantly plasmids and integrative conjugative elements/integrative mobilizable elements. Biocide and metal resistance genes frequently co-occurred with ARGs on the same contigs. Together, these findings demonstrate that antibiotic-selective culture enrichment enhances resistome surveillance by improving detection of low-abundance ARGs, while hybrid assembly provides critical genomic context for assessing their mobility and host associations.IMPORTANCELivestock manure and its byproducts, such as anaerobic digestate, are recognized as important environmental reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and resistant bacteria, yet current metagenomic approaches may underestimate this risk by failing to detect low-abundance but clinically relevant ARGs. Here, we show that integrating culture enrichment with hybrid metagenomics improves ARG recovery and reveals ARG co-localization with mobile genetic elements and putative bacterial hosts. This approach captures a cultivable and condition-responsive fraction of the resistome that is not readily accessible through direct metagenomic sequencing alone, providing a more informative framework for environmental AMR surveillance.

anaerobic digestion↗
PubMed2026

Integrated metagenomic and metaproteomic insights into current-carrying-coil magnetic field enhanced synergistic methanogenic system and antibiotic resistance gene reduction in cow manure anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a sustainable strategy for valorizing cow manure (CM). However, the high ammonia (NH3) concentration and low biodegradability of CM limit hydrolysis and methane production. This study investigated the application of a current-carrying-coil-based magnetic field (CCC-MF) to AD of CM. The CCC-MF digesters showed higher soluble chemical oxygen demand and attained 16.59&#xa0;% higher ammonium nitrogen reduction, contributing to a 37.50&#xa0;% higher average methane yield than the control. Further, CCC-MF digesters showed higher enzyme activities (alkaline protease&#xa0;+&#xa0;30&#xa0;%, acetate kinase&#xa0;+&#xa0;22&#xa0;% and hydrazine dehydrogenase&#xa0;+&#xa0;26&#xa0;%) and increased microbial metabolic indices (dehydrogenase activity&#xa0;+&#xa0;17&#xa0;% and electron transport system activity&#xa0;+&#xa0;10&#xa0;%) than the control. Metagenomics analysis revealed that abundances of the bacterial genera Mesotoga, Aminobacterium, Xiashengella, unclassified Candidatus Cloacimonadota, Advenella, Pseudomonas, and Comamonas increased, whereas the acetoclastic methanogen Methanothrix decreased by 2.58&#xa0;%, accompanied by 2.07- and 1.64-fold increases in hydrogenotrophic methanogens Methanospirillum and Methanobacterium, respectively, in CCC-MF digesters. The abundance of nitrogen dissimilation and assimilation genes NirK, NorB, NarB, NapA, nmo, and GLT1 were enhanced by 1.14, 1.04, 2.30, 1.32, 1.17, and 1.29-fold in CCC-MF digesters compared to the control. Moreover, metaproteomics revealed higher up-regulated differentially expressed proteins in NH3 reduction-related amino acid metabolism pathways in CCC-MF digester compared to control. Additionally, reduced abundances of bacitracin, polymyxin, sulfonamide, and multidrug antibiotic resistance (MAR) gene types were observed in the CCC-MF digesters. The findings suggest that applying CCC-MF may be associated with higher methane production and ammonium reduction, potentially linked to a more favorable synergistic methanogenic system and nitrogen transformation pathways.

Manure↗
PubMed2025

Detoxifying biotransformation of chloramphenicol by Exiguobacterium sp. CAP4 and its bioaugmentation of chloramphenicol biodegradation in simulated wastewater.

The extensive use of chloramphenicol (CAP) in livestock leads the accumulation of CAP in livestock manures, threatening environmental and human health. Therefore, eliminating or reducing CAP concentration in manures before its re-utilization and application through microbial remediation is necessary. Exiguobacterium sp. CAP4, isolated from the plastisphere in duck manures, was capable of degrading CAP with the biodegradation efficiency of 97.8 % at initial CAP concentration of 5 mg/L within 4 days. A total of twenty-four biotransformation products were determined, including two novel transformation products, TP166 and TP203, enriched the integrity of CAP biodegradation pathways. Furthermore, the biotransformation process was proposed as a detoxifying process through biotransformation products toxicity evaluation. Notably, Exiguobacterium sp. CAP4 successfully colonized in the cow manures after inoculation, and bioaugmented the biodegradation of CAP in virgin cow manures. This study significantly extended our understanding of the CAP biotransformation fate, and provided a promising bacterial strain for bioremediation of CAP containing wastewater in situ.

Chloramphenicol↗
PubMed2026

Novel Insights into Metagenomic-Assembled Genomes from Layer Chicken Housing Environment.

Culture-independent techniques are playing a major role in exploring unique and novel microbial communities from complex ecosystems, leading to an outstanding impact on our basic understanding of the tree of life. Microbial communities are not extensively studied in layer chicken housing environments, particularly from the point of view of taxa carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes and their functional potential. This study aimed to extract metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the Illumina short-reads shotgun metagenomics sequenced data that originated from an Alberta poultry barn environment and then to study host tracking of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and the roles of genes involved in functions related to ammonia production, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-related pathways, sulfur metabolism, methane emission, stress and disinfectant-related pathways. A total of 251 high-quality MAGs were extracted, including 249 bacterial and two archaeal genomes from sequencing data of 30 metagenomic sequencing samples comprising 15 air and 15 manure samples collected from 15-layer farms. Interestingly 22 bacterial MAGs were not classified to species levels using GTDB-based classification. ARGs were mainly harbored by the genera Staphylococcus, Alistepes, Romboutsia, and Enterococcus. Bacteroides is a main taxon carrying ARGs in air samples. Ammonia production-related genes were mainly tracked in Staphylococcus, Ruminococcus and Corynebacterium genera. The assimilatory sulfate reduction genes responsible for sulfur metabolism and hydrogenase-related genes responsible for hydrogen cycling were traced from Staphylococcus originated from both air and manure. The current study provides characterizations of MAGs from a poultry housing environment by linking microbial taxa with virulence, resistance, and metabolic functions. The findings emphasize the role of microbiota in shaping gas emissions and AMR, with implications for poultry health and worker's safety and the ultimate aim of sustainable poultry production.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Zambian Indigenous Cattle.

A study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of Zambian indigenous cattle using microsatellites. In Zambia, cattle provide draft power, food, manure and generate income. DNA extraction followed the Qiagen protocol, and Arlequin V3.0 was used for data analysis. 72 unrelated animals from three regions, Eastern (Angoni), Southern (Tonga) and Western (Barotse), were sampled. 315 alleles observed were higher in TGLA 263 (106&#xa0;bp) with 0.861, 0.824 and 0.753, BMS650 (160&#xa0;bp) with 0.710 and SPS 115 (248&#xa0;bp) with 0.581, 0.710 and 0.794 for Angoni, Tonga and Barotse, respectively. Effective allele frequency was 4.521 &#xb1; 0.351, 4.246 &#xb1; 0.299 and 3.888 &#xb1; 0.289 for Angoni, Tonga and Barotse, respectively. Global deficit of heterozygotes across populations (Fit) amounted to 4.2%. Overall mean deficit of heterozygotes (Fis = 1%), genetic differentiation among breeds (Fst = 3.2%),, and genetic flow between populations (Nm = 11.3) ranged from RM 067 (40.564) to BLI (3.016). Analysis of molecular variance revealed 2.7% genetic variation among populations and 97.3% within the cattle population, with a mean genetic diversity of 0.753. Structure analysis (PCoA) demonstrated the presence of two subpopulations in which all three populations are represented and these two groups showed evidence of substructuring. In the Bayesian analysis, Tonga and Barotse populations were clustered together, while the Angoni were separated from the rest of the populations in K = 2. There was no evidence of panmixia and linkage equilibrium; the VD (9.153) value is greater than L (5.929), indicating that the population was in equilibrium. This study presents a comprehensive genetic characterisation of indigenous cattle in Zambia, which is important for further studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2025

Coupling of spectroscopy and nitrogen-oxygen isotopes unveils the mechanisms of dissolved organic matter and nitrate pollution in lakes within the agro-pastoral transition zone.

Lakes in arid and semi-arid regions are subjected to severe ecological stress, such as organic pollution, eutrophication, and salinization, due to climate change and human activities. This study investigates Chagannur Lake, a typical arid-region lake that is representative and ecologically sensitive in Northern China's agro-pastoral ecotone, to uncover its pollution characteristics and mechanisms. We employed fluorescence spectroscopy and stable isotope analysis to trace dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nitrate sources. The DOM composition was dominated by microbial metabolic byproducts and protein-like substances, suggesting that microbial processes are key to organic matter transformation. Source apportionment revealed that pollutants primarily originated from livestock and poultry manure (37.6 %), agricultural fertilizers (35.6 %), and soil erosion (24.7 %), with agricultural fertilizers contributing most significantly in the Gogstai River (63.3 %). A structural equation model (SEM) coupling spectral and mass spectrometric data revealed that microbial transformation significantly impairs the lake's self-purification capacity, thereby promoting pollutant accumulation (path coefficient = 0.91,*p < 0.05). Moreover, microbial processes link endogenous and exogenous pollution, a mechanism effectively traced by isotopic and fluorescence indices (path coefficient = 0.55, &#x204e;&#x204e;p < 0.01). These findings enhance the understanding of pollution sources and transformation mechanisms in arid-region lakes and offer foundational theoretical support for policymakers engaged in pollution control strategies.

Lakes↗
PubMed2026

Unraveling anaerobic indole degradation in an acclimated sludge consortium: Candidate pathways and microbial division of labor inferred from metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses.

Indole is a widespread nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound in manure, sludge, and wastewater systems, yet the enzymes and microbial populations involved in its anaerobic transformation remain poorly resolved. Here, we established a long-term acclimated anaerobic sludge consortium and combined degradation assays, metabolite profiling, metatranscriptomics, and genome-resolved metagenomics to investigate the functional basis of anaerobic indole degradation. After 120 days of acclimation, the consortium stably degraded 100&#x202f;mg/L indole, whereas skatole was not effectively removed under the same strategy, indicating substrate-specific adaptation of the microbial community. Metabolite profiling detected oxindole, dioxindole, isatin, and anthranilic acid, supporting a putative transformation route involving pyrrole-ring oxidation and ring cleavage toward anthranilate-like intermediates. Metatranscriptomic analysis identified 16,660 differentially expressed genes after indole addition, with strong transcriptional responses involving oxidoreductases, hydrolases, cofactor-dependent redox metabolism, aromatic-CoA-related metabolism, and methane metabolism-associated pathways. Transcriptional responses highlighted the xanthine dehydrogenase-like molybdenum-enzyme system and isatin hydrolase as candidate contributors to upstream indole transformation, whereas those of abmG-like, bcrC, and oah genes were consistent with possible anthranilic acid activation and downstream CoA-type processing. MAG-resolved analysis further suggested that these candidate functions may be distributed among populations affiliated with Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota, Desulfobacterota, and Methanobacterium. Together, these findings establish a stable anaerobic indole-degrading consortium and provide a testable functional framework for syntrophic interactions linking upstream indole transformation, aromatic-CoA metabolism, and methanogenesis-associated carbon flow.

Anaerobic degradation↗
PubMed1978

Deodorization of pig feces by actinomycetes.

Peg feces, a malodorous substance causing environmental pollution, were completely deodorized within 2 days by Streptomyces. The optimum conditions for deodorization were as follows: pH, 8.6 to 10; temperature, 35 to 40 degrees C; moisture content, 42 to 63%; and minimum amount of inoculum, 2 g of seed culture per 10 g of fresh feces. Many kinds of microorganisms were isolated from the deodorized feces, of which only actinomycetes were found to have the ability to deodorize. Two strains with strong deodorizing activity were identified as Streptomyces griseus and Streptomyces antibioticus. The low-molecular-weight fatty acids, which are the specific malodorous agents of pig feces, scarcely could be found in feces deodorized by the isolated strains. Chemical analysis showed that the deodorized feces are useful as manure.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

A culturomics approach reveals cross-feeding capacity of intestinal pig bacteria upon release of inositol from phytate.

BACKGROUND: Phytate is the primary phosphorus storage molecule of plants and plays a major role in animal nutrition. To enhance phosphate availability and absorption in livestock, and to reduce eutrophication by liquid manure, bacterial phytases are often added to animal feed. The dephosphorylated form of phytate, the polyol myo-inositol (myo-Ins) with multiple functions in eukaryotes, is metabolized by approximately 30% of all bacterial species. RESULTS: Here, we employed a culturomics approach to identify possible metabolic interactions between phytase-producing and myo-Ins degrading bacteria in intestinal samples from pigs. Selective cultivation revealed an unexpectedly high abundance of myo-Ins degrading bacteria, suggesting substantial phytate dephosphorylation in the pig gut. Phytase activity assays performed on gut isolates showed a high degree of variability, suggesting the presence of a diverse set of phytases yet to be characterized. Furthermore, using supernatants of phytase-positive gut strains cultivated in the presence of phytate, we observed cross-feeding of myo-Ins from phytase producers to phytase-negative strains, including the pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate that a wide range of commensal bacteria can potentially benefit from phytase activity by utilizing myo-Ins, released through phytate hydrolysis, as a growth substrate. Video Abstract.

Animals↗