BACKGROUND: Large amount of veterinary antibiotics have been used in the livestock industry to prevent diseases and promote growth. These antibiotics are excreted through feces and urine in unchanged form and reach to agricultural fields via application of the livestock manure based composts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of tetracyclines-resistant bacteria in the soil received livestock manure compost for a long term. METHODS AND RESULTS: Tetracyclines (tetracycline TC, chlortetracycline CTC, and oxytetracycline OTC) resistance bacteria in the soil of rice-onion field applied pig manure compost (PM), in the soil of grass-rye field received cow manure compost (CM), and in the soil of rice field applied inorganic fertilizer (NPK) were determined. The soil received livestock manure composts clearly showed higher number of TC, CTC, and OTC resistance bacteria compared with the soil treated with inorganic fertilizer. The antibiotic resistant bacteria recovered appeared at 80 mg/L of tetracyclines was identified 1 specie, 6 genera 7 species, and 6 genera 7species in the soils received CM, PM, and NPK, respectively. The dominant resistant bacteria with the CM and PM application were Ochrobactrum and Rhodococcus. CONCLUSION: The application of livestock manure compost in the agricultural field is likely to contribute the occurrence of antibiotic resistance bacteria in the agricultural environment.