Occurrence and Distribution of Antibiotics in the Water, Sediment, and Biota of Freshwater and Marine Environments: A Review

Abstract

Antibiotics, as pollutants of emerging concern, can enter marine environments, rivers, and lakes and endanger ecology and human health. The purpose of this study was to review the studies conducted on the presence of antibiotics in water, sediments, and organisms in aquatic environments (i.e., seas, rivers, and lakes). Most of the reviewed studies were conducted in 2018 (15%) and 2014 (11%). Antibiotics were reported in aqueous media at a concentration of <1 ng/L–100 μg/L. The results showed that the highest number of works were conducted in the Asian continent (seas: 74%, rivers: 78%, lakes: 87%, living organisms: 100%). The highest concentration of antibiotics in water and sea sediments, with a frequency of 49%, was related to fluoroquinolones. According to the results, the highest amounts of antibiotics in water and sediment were reported as 460 ng/L and 406 ng/g, respectively. In rivers, sulfonamides had the highest abundance (30%). Fluoroquinolones (with an abundance of 34%) had the highest concentration in lakes. Moreover, the highest concentration of fluoroquinolones in living organisms was reported at 68,000 ng/g, with a frequency of 39%. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that sulfonamides and fluoroquinolones are among the most dangerous antibiotics due to their high concentrations in the environment. This review provides timely information regarding the presence of antibiotics in different aquatic environments, which can be helpful for estimating ecological risks, contamination levels, and their management.

The Use of Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance in Veterinary Medicine, a Complex Phenomenon: A Narrative Review

“…The research of Maghsodian et al [ 148 ] intended to review the presence of antibiotics in different parts of marine environments (i.e., water and sediments) and in organisms in different aquatic environments (i.e., worldwide seas and rivers; lakes, mainly referring to China). Most of the studies included were carried out in 2018 (15%) and 2014 (11%), and the highest number of research pertained to the Asian continent.…”

“…The concentrations of antibiotics found in aqueous media were <1 ng/L–100 μg/L. The highest level in water and sea sediments was related to fluoroquinolones [ 148 ]. Regarding sediments, the high amounts of quinolones found in the Chinese area can be ascribed to their chelation with cations, metals, and heavy metals, which are generally abundant in sediments (especially sea and lakes) facilitating AMR and the accumulation and propagation of ARGs.…”

“…The concentrations of antibiotics in lake water were higher than in rivers and seas [ 149 , 150 , 151 ]. Sulfonamides showed the highest abundance in rivers worldwide (30%; 191.11 ng/L average concentration), probably related to their widespread use and relatively high stability (one year) [ 148 ].…”

“…Among the different considered antibiotics, the concentrations of fluoroquinolones were higher than those of other antibiotics (68,000 ng/g, with a frequency of 39%). It was concluded that sulfonamides and fluoroquinolones had the highest concentrations in most of the studied environments [ 148 ].…”

An integrated framework to develop an efficient valid green (EVG) HPLC method for the assessment of antimicrobial pollutants with potential threats to human health in aquatic systems

“…Therefore, this study mostly emphasizes estimating the amount of the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments, namely ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and albendazole, in Nile River water and pharmaceutical industrial effluents. 19,21,22…”