E. COLI TRANSPORT AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION

JORGE A. GUZMÁN, GAREY A. FOX AND JOSH B. PAYNE

DEPARTMENT OF BIOSYSTEMS AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Types of litter bacteria

• Beneficial bacteria

• Pathogenic bacteria:

- Salmonella

- Campylobacter

• Fecal indicator bacteria:

- enterococci

- Escherichia coli (E. coli)

E. coli

• Common bacteria found in nature

• Intestinal tracts of humans and warm blooded animals

• Many harmless strains exist

• Some can be pathogenic

• For example: E. coli O157:H7

– Produces powerful toxin

– Causes human infection

E. coli O157:H7 Sources• Feces or intestines of cattle

• Also found in rabbits, deer, dogs, goats, pigs, horses, poultry, sheep and wild animals

• Can survive for long periods in feces, soil and water

Transmission

• Transmitted via contaminated water, animals and other humans

• Ingestion of only a few cells can cause illness

Symptoms

• Usually occur 3-4 days after exposure

• Some show no symptoms or mild diarrhea

• Hemorrhagic colitis

• Hemolytic uremic syndrome

Land application of manure

• Questions exist regarding E. coli transport following manure application

E. Coli Field Study

• Objective: Investigate E. coli concentrations transported by surface runoff after litter application

E. Coli Field Study

• Select field with similar soil and slope

• Mixture of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue grass, bermuda grass and some Johnsongrass

• Cattle had not been allowed access for 1 yr

• Litter had not been applied for 1 yr

Study area

Rainfall simulator

Eastern Research StationOklahoma State University

perennial ryegrasstall fescuegrassbermudagrassjohnsongrass

P1

P14

100 m

E. Coli Field Study

• 14 plots

• Treatments:

- 4,942 kg/ha (2.2 tons/ac) rate of broiler litter

- 2 control plots (no litter)

- Litter applied on small area outside of plots

• Subjected to artificial rainfall

- 2 year storm event (45 min; 2.3 inches/hr)

- 5 year storm event (30 min; 3 inches/hr)

Time (hours)

Poultry Litter Application

Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall

24 h 120 h0 h

E. coli E. coli E. coli

2 yr stormt=45 mini=58.4 mm (2.3”)/hrV=43.8 mm 1.72”

5 yr stormt=30 mini=76.2 mm (3”)/hrV=38.1 mm (1.5”)

Control 0 h 24 h 120 h

Average EMC 6.8 103 1.6 105 1.3 104 4.3 104

Maximum EMC 7.7 103 2.2 105 2.6 104 6.2 104

Minimum EMC 5.8 103 5.0 104 7.1 103 1.9 104

P-Values from ANOVA Test on Average EMCs

(95% CL)

0 h 0.053 -- 0.008 0.024

24 h 0.412 0.008 -- 0.026

120 h 0.058 0.024 0.026 --

E. Coli Event Mean Concentrations (EMC) (MPN/100 mL)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Control 0 h 24 h 120 h

E. C

oli

log

MP

N/1

00

mL

Time

C

B

A

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Control 0 h 24 h 120 h

E. C

oli

log

MP

N/1

00

mL

Time

90% CL

A

C

B

A

Litter Placed Outside Plots

Results

• E. coli decreased at 24 h and 120 h compared to 0 h after litter application.

• In control plots, E. coli was always detected, indicating other sources of E. coli.

• Other sources may include: rodents, birds and other small mammals.

Conclusions

• Litter applications may contribute to runoff of E. coli when rainfall events occur shortly after application.

• Other sources of contamination serve as a significant component of the total E. coli load.

• As time increases after litter application, background E. coli concentrations become a larger component of total E. coli load.

Thanks!

Thanks!

SOIL BACTERIA FATE

Phylogeneticspecies- strain

Evolutionary processmanure source & conditions

External VariablestemperaturepHmoisture contentUV light

Nutrients - Substrateelectron acceptorcarbon source

Ecological Microcosm & Macrocosm antagonism (predation, host), competition, amensalism, comensalism, mutualism.

GROWTHinactivation – VBNCphysiological death

sustained population

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Investigate surface runoff transport of fecal bacteria after broadcast poultry litter application due to 2- and 5-year

storm event at 0-, 24- and 120-hr time lags between application and rainfall events

Study area

Rainfall simulator

Eastern Research StationOklahoma State University

perennial ryegrasstall fescuegrassbermudagrassjohnsongrass

P1

P14

100 m

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTS

• Fourteen 2m by 2m pastureland plots (2 controls Plots)• Poultry litter rate application: 4,942 kg ha-1 (12 Plots)• 2-year storm event : 58.4 mm hr-1

• 5-year storm event : 76.2 mm hr-1

• Meteorological variables collected by Mesonet station

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Hyd

rolo

gica

l Re

spo

nse

2-yr Storm Event

5-yr Storm Event

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Surf

ace

Ru

no

ff (c

m3

s-1)

Time (minutes)

Plot 3

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTS

2-yr Storm Event 5-yr Storm Event

td=45 min; i=58.4 mm hr-1

V=43.8 mmtd=30 min; i=76.2 mm hr-1

V=38.1 mm

0.E+00

1.E+05

2.E+05

3.E+05

0

20

40

60

80

100

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5

E. c

oli

con

cen

trat

ion

(M

PN

/100

mL)

t/td

Runoff

TL=0-hr

TL=24-hr

TL=120-hr

0.E+00

1.E+05

2.E+05

3.E+05

0

20

40

60

80

100

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5

Surf

ace

run

off

(cm

3 s

-1)

t/td

Runoff

TL=0-hr

TL=24-hr

TL=120-hr

Control

1

1

N

i i

i

N

i

i

Q C

EMC

Q

Escherichia coli event mean concentration (EMC) based on average measured flow and E. coli concentrations

from control and litter plots.

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Event Mean Concentration

Control 0 h 24 h 120 h

Average EMC 6.8 103 1.6 105 1.3 104 4.3 104

Maximum EMC 7.7 103 2.2 105 2.6 104 6.2 104

Minimum EMC 5.8 103 5.0 104 7.1 103 1.9 104

P-Values from ANOVA Test on Average EMCs

(95% CL)

0 h 0.053 -- 0.008 0.024

24 h 0.412 0.008 -- 0.026

120 h 0.058 0.024 0.026 --

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTSM

ete

oro

logi

cal E

xoge

no

us

Var

iab

les

Relative Humidity

Air Temperature

Solar Radiation

Control Poultry Litter

Statistically significant differences were observed in average EMCs relative to time lag between litter application and rainfall (Decreasing between 0 and 24 hr and increasing at 120 hr).

Escherichia coli was always detected in the control plots from other sources.

Bacteria survival and growth was hypothesized to depend on the location of deposited litter within the plot.

No significant differences were observed in average event mean concentrations (EMCs) relative to storm intensity.

SURFACE RUNOFF TRANSPORT OF E. COLI AFTER POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION ON PASTURELANDS: FIELD EXPERIMENTS

MAJOR FINDINGS