Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Effects of the Antibiotic Alternatives Zinc and Menthol on Phenotypic Antimicrobial Resistance of E. coli and Enterococcus spp. in Beef Cattle

Sarah A. Murray
,
Raghavendra G. Amachawadi
ORCID logo ,
Keri N. Norman
ORCID logo ,
Sara D. Lawhon
,
T. G. Nagaraja
ORCID logo ,
James S. Drouillard
,
Harvey M. Scott
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 8 December 2020 / Approved: 9 December 2020 / Online: 9 December 2020 (09:44:37 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Murray, S.A.; Amachawadi, R.G.; Norman, K.N.; Lawhon, S.D.; Nagaraja, T.G.; Drouillard, J.S.; Scott, H.M. Effects of Zinc and Menthol-Based Diets on Co-Selection of Antibiotic Resistance among E. coli and Enterococcus spp. in Beef Cattle. Animals 2021, 11, 259. Murray, S.A.; Amachawadi, R.G.; Norman, K.N.; Lawhon, S.D.; Nagaraja, T.G.; Drouillard, J.S.; Scott, H.M. Effects of Zinc and Menthol-Based Diets on Co-Selection of Antibiotic Resistance among E. coli and Enterococcus spp. in Beef Cattle. Animals 2021, 11, 259.

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a growing crisis in both human and veterinary medicine. We evaluated the use of two categories of antibiotic alternatives – heavy metals and essential oils – in beef cattle, and their effects on gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. In this randomized controlled field trial, we measured the impact of supplemental zinc and menthol on antimicrobial resistance among commensal enteric bacteria of feeder cattle. Fecal suspensions were plated onto plain- and antibiotic-supplemented MacConkey and m-Enterococcus agar for quantification of total and antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp., respectively. Temporal effects on overall E. coli growth were significant (P< 0.05); however, there were no significant effects on antibiotic-supplemented agar. Zinc was associated with significant increases in growth on erythromycin-supplemented m-Enterococcus agar. Cattle fed zinc exhibited significantly higher macrolide resistance among fecal enterococci isolates.

Keywords

antibiotic resistance; antibiotic alternatives; heavy metals; essential oils

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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