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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Antibiotics Absorbed By Vegetables
  • Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:17:36 -0600


12 July 2007
Antibiotics Absorbed By Vegetables
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20070611194357data_trunc_sys.shtml

Evaluating the impact of livestock antibiotics on the environment,
University of Minnesota researchers have found that many vegetables uptake
the antibiotics. The study, in the Journal of Environmental Quality, shows
that food crops can readily accumulate antibiotics from soils spread with
cattle manure.

The findings were based on a greenhouse study involving three food crops:
corn, lettuce, and potatoes. The plants were grown in soil modified with
liquid hog manure containing sulfamethazine, a commonly used veterinary
antibiotic. The researchers found that the antibiotic was taken up by all
three crops.

The antibiotic was found in the plant leaves and concentrations in the
plant tissue increased as the amount of antibiotic present in the manure
increased. Worryingly, it also diffused into potato tubers, which suggests
that other root crops - such as carrots and radishes - may be particularly
vulnerable to antibiotic contamination.

Researcher Satish Gupta said that contaminated plants had the potential to
cause allergic reactions in people with antibiotic sensitivity. He also
noted that contamination is likely to foster antimicrobial resistance,
which can render antibiotics ineffective. And co-researcher Holly Dolliver
warned that antibiotic contaminated plants may be of particular concern to
the organic farming industry, where manure is often the main source of crop
nutrients.

While the USDA stipulates that organic producers must manage animal
materials in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops by
residues of prohibited substances, manures containing antibiotics are not
formally banned or prohibited. Dolliver concluded that further research is
needed to investigate how different plants absorb different antibiotic
compounds.

Related articles:
Prevalence Of Antibiotic Resistance Surprises
Prof Ponders Bacterial Benefits
Down On The Farm: Yields, Nutrients And Soil Quality
Increasing Soil Erosion Threatens World's Food Supply





  • [Livingontheland] Antibiotics Absorbed By Vegetables, TradingPostPaul, 07/16/2007

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