Rooting out resistance: investigating antibiotic resistance in plants

For decades, livestock have been fed antibiotics to promote growth, treat infections, and prevent diseases in crowded and often unsanitary conditions. “Worldwide it is estimated that 66% of all antibiotics are used in farm animals, not people.” (ASA 1). However, the extensive use of these antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of highly drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. Antibiotic Resistance is caused when bacteria change to resist the antibiotics used to treat them effectively. If antibiotics are not taken promptly or if doses are skipped, then the bacteria grow to develop resistance. This led us to our research question: Can antibiotic use in livestock affect antibiotic resistance found in radishes if they are grown in organic manure-based fertilizer? Through the application of previous studies and research, we conducted our experiment to analyze antibiotic resistance in plants grown in animal-based manure.