Novel Approaches to Monitoring and Remediation of Veterinary Antibiotics in Soil and Water: A Review

Abstract

A vast increase of antibiotics usage in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) over the last few decades has led to an environmental risk due to the presence of antibiotic residuals in different environmental compartments. Especially in Korea, the use of antibiotics in CAFOs is much greater than in other developed countries. One of the primary adverse impacts of antibiotic residuals in the environment is that they readily produce antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), which exert detrimental effects on the ecosystem as well as human health. In this article, the impacts of veterinary antibiotic residuals with regard to their quantification and management, and desirable remediation technologies have been widely reviewed. This review article concluded that the continuous monitoring should be required to ensure the safety of antibiotic residuals in the surrounding environments. Furthermore, the management guidelines of antibiotic residuals need to be developed in the future.