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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Bioremediation and Biodegradation

A Biosecure Composting System for Disposal of Cattle Carcasses and Manure Following Infectious Disease Outbreak

^a Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
^b Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Agriculture Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4V6, Canada
^c Canadian Food Inspection Agency, P.O. Box 11300, Ottawa, ON K2H 8P9 Canada
^d Dep. of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Dalian Univ. of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

^* Corresponding author (kim.stanford{at}gov.ab.ca).

Received for publication April 11, 2008. During outbreaks of infectious animal diseases, composting may be an effective method of disposing of mortalities and potentially contaminated manure. Duplicate biosecure structures containing 16 cattle (Bos taurus) mortalities (343 kg average weight) were constructed with carcasses placed on a 40-cm straw layer and overlaid with 160 cm of feedlot manure. At a depth of 80 cm (P80), compost heated rapidly, exceeding 55°C after 8 d and maintained temperatures of 55 to 65°C for > 35 d. Temperatures at 160 cm (P160) failed to exceed 55°C, but remained above 40°C for >4 mo. To investigate rates of microbial inactivation, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) were inoculated in manure (E. coli O157:H7 and C. jejuni 10⁸ CFU g^–1; NDV, 10⁶ EID₅₀ g^–1), embedded at P80 and P160 and retrieved at intervals during composting. Escherichia coli O157:H7 and NDV were undetectable after 7 d at both depths. The C. jejuni DNA was detected up to 84 d at P80 and >147 d at P160. To estimate degradation of recalcitrant substrates, bovine brain, hoof, and rib bones were also embedded at P80 and P160 and retrieved at intervals. Residues of soft tissues remained in carcasses after opening at 147 d and bovine tissue decomposition ranked as brain > hoof > bone. More than 90% dry matter (DM) of brain disappeared after 7 d and 80% DM of hoof decomposed after 56 d. High degradation of cattle carcasses, rapid suppression of E. coli O157:H7 and NDV and reduction in viable cell densities of >6 logs for C. jejuni demonstrates that the biosecure composting system can dispose of cattle carcasses and manure in an infectious disease outbreak.

Abbreviations: AI, avian influenza • BRP, Baker retrieval pyramid system for compost sampling • CB, Columbia broth • CCDA, Campylobacter charcoal deoxycholate medium • CFU, colony forming units • CT-SMACnal, sorbitol MacConkey agar with cefixime, potassium tellurite and naladixic acid • DM, dry matter • DMD, dry matter disappearance • ECEs embryonated chicken eggs • ELD₅₀, 50% embryo lethal dose • FMD, foot and mouth disease • IMS, immunomagnetic separation • NDV, Newcastle disease virus • P80, depth of 80 cm in compost • P160, depth of 160 cm in compost • PBS, phosphate buffered saline • PCR, polymerase chain reaction • OM, organic matter • OMD organic matter disappearance • TC, total carbon • TN, total nitrogen • TSB, tryptic soy broth • Str1 and Str2, compost structures 1 and 2

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