Abstract
Antibiotics used for the treatment of humans and livestock are released into the environment, whereby they pose a grave threat to biota (including humans) as they can cause the emergence of various strains of resistant bacteria. An improved understanding of antibiotics in the environment is thus vital for appropriate management and mitigation. Herein, surface water and groundwater samples containing antibiotics were analyzed in an urban–rural complex watershed (Cheongmi Stream) comprising intensive livestock farms by collecting samples across different time points and locations. The spatiotemporal trends of the residual antibiotics were analyzed, and ecological and antibiotic resistance-based risk assessments were performed considering their concentrations. The results showed that the concentrations and detection frequencies of the residual antibiotics in the surface water were affected by various factors such as agricultural activities and point sources, and were higher than those found in groundwater; however, frequent detection of antibiotics in groundwater showed that residual antibiotics were influenced by factors such as usage pattern and sewage runoff. Furthermore, few antibiotics posed ecological risks. The risk assessment methods adopted in this study can be applied elsewhere, and the results can be considered in the environmental management of residual antibiotics in the Cheongmi Stream watershed.
Highlights
The residual concentrations of antibiotics in the surface water and groundwater samples of the Cheongmi Stream watershed are shown in Figure 2, and the 1-year average concentrations obtained at each sampling point are presented to explain the trends and concentrations of the target antibiotics analyzed
The concentration and the detection frequency of antibiotics in the surface water were higher than those reported for the groundwater; differences in seasonal trends and concentrations were observed in both types of samples
In the surface water samples, concentrations were generally high in December, whereas concentrations of groundwater tended to peak in August
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).Antibiotics are deemed indispensable for the protection of human life, and both their production and usage continue to increase steadily [1,2,3]. Furthermore, the consumption of meat has increased with the improved standards of living, and thus livestock breeding facilities have been scaled up in numerous regions to meet the growing demand [2,4,5]; consequently, considerable quantities of antibiotics are being used to prevent and treat diseases of livestock and to promote growth. According to the Korea Health Industry
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.