Summary
This experimental study examined the differential toxicity of two benzimidazole anthelmintics—albendazole and fenbendazole—to the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Mesorhizobium loti and its symbiotic relationship with the legume Lotus japonicus. Albendazole inhibited rhizobial growth and suppressed early-stage symbiosis through reduced infection thread formation and downregulation of key symbiosis genes, whilst fenbendazole showed no effects; however, albendazole's impacts on nodulation and nitrogenase activity were not significant at advanced symbiotic stages, suggesting recovery due to progressive dissipation. The findings suggest compound-specific impacts on soil nitrogen fixation capacity that warrant consideration for soil health in livestock farming systems relying on manure application.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK agricultural practice, where manure from anthelmintic-treated livestock is routinely applied to pastures and arable land, potentially delivering these compounds to soils containing indigenous nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Given the importance of biological nitrogen fixation in reducing synthetic fertiliser dependence, understanding anthelmintic persistence and recovery dynamics in UK soil conditions would strengthen risk assessment for soil health.
Key measures
Rhizobial growth inhibition at specified concentrations (0.75 and 2.25 mg kg⁻¹); number of infection threads formed; expression of symbiosis-related genes; nodulation phenotypes; nitrogenase activity
Outcomes reported
The study measured the effects of albendazole and fenbendazole on Mesorhizobium loti growth in vitro and on the establishment of symbiotic nitrogen fixation between this rhizobium and Lotus japonicus through phenotypic and molecular analyses. Key outcomes included quantification of infection threads, gene expression changes, nodulation rates, and nitrogenase activity.
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