Adverse Effects of Antibiotics Administered on Livestock

A recent study conducted at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has revealed that the use of antibiotics on livestock is affecting soil carbon storage and climate.

Key Findings

• Livestock grazing has been found to lead to lower carbon storage in soil compared to grazing by wild herbivores due to the use of veterinary antibiotics such as tetracycline.
• Antibiotics such as tetracycline are long-lived and can linger in the soil for decades, thereby exacerbating the problem.
• The antibiotics, when released into the soil through dung and urine, alter the microbial communities in the soil in ways that ....