Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) arises mostly because of the use and abuse of antibiotics in both the human and veterinary sectors. Furthermore, antibiotic residues can be discharged into the environment, promoting the spread of AMR as well as becoming a potential ecotoxicological risk. Aquaculture is one such source of environmental pollution. In the present work, we evaluated the correlation between antibiotic consumption in 11 selected aquafarms located along the Nera River, and the detection of their residues in surface water and sediment samples gathered monthly from the same stream. Antibiotic consumption was calculated using the ESVAC defined daily doses for animals (DDDvet) method, and a chemical analysis was conducted using a multiclass method. Therefore, the ecological risk of antibiotics being detected in surface waters was established based on the risk quotient (RQ). A strong positive correlation was identified between the concentrations detected in surface waters and the consumption of flumequine (r = 72%, p-value = 0.0085) and florfenicol (r = 83%, p-value = 0.0008). The RQ, however, was low for all the detected antibiotics in surface waters. Therefore, we proved that the antibiotics used in aquaculture can reach the near aquatic environment, but, in this work, they did not represent a toxicological risk to the surrounding ecosystem.
Highlights
Antibacterial therapy was one of the most important medical developments of the 20th century and has become one of the pillars of modern medicine [1]
We evaluated the impact on the environment of the detected antibiotics, calculating the risk quotient (RQ) as an indicator of the ecotoxicological risk
The results demonstrated a positive correlation between the use of two of these veterinary antibiotics in aquaculture and their detection in the surrounding aquatic environment, not statistically significant due to the small sample size
Summary
Antibacterial therapy was one of the most important medical developments of the 20th century and has become one of the pillars of modern medicine [1]. The other main drivers are factors that promote the spread of resistant bacteria and resistance determinants within and between these sectors and around the globe [2] These include environmental contamination, as the environment can serve as an AMR reservoir [2,3]. Even if the detected concentrations are low (from ng/L to μg/L), water bodies have been identified as significant holding tanks for antibiotics [10], which can potentially bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms [11] They can disrupt vital ecosystem processes, representing an ecotoxicological risk [8]. The paper presents a guided methodological approach for the execution of ecotoxicological surveys, with the aim of protecting human health from the impact of repeated exposure to environmental risk factors via integration of different knowledge and skills
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