Antibiotic Residue in the Aquatic Environment: Status in Africa

AbstractInformation on the presence of antibiotics is sparse for all types of water in Africa, including groundwater, surface water, effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and municipal potable water. With the relatively high sales of different antibiotics to treat infectious diseases in the human population of Africa, the residual of the antibiotics is bound to be released through excretion via urine or fecal matter in parallel to the high sales. This article reviews the published analysis on the occurrence of antibiotics in the environment particularly in the aquatic environment in some countries in Africa. In general, sulfamethoxazole was the most commonly detected in Africa surface water (with eight reports from four countries) at a concentration range of 0.00027 – 39 μgL-1. Wastewater analysis is believed to give an early warning for preventing epidemics. Thus, we discuss the associated level of antibiotic resistance to some prevalent diseases in Africa whose aetiological agents can develop antibiotic resistance due to exposure to antibiotic residue in water. This is important because of rising population of immuno-deficient African residents ravaged by HIV/AIDS, poor nutrition and less efficient sanitation systems.

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Small-scale wastewater treatment plants as a source of the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in the aquatic environment

Journal of Hazardous Materials ◽

10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121221 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 381 ◽

pp. 121221 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Adriana Osińska ◽

Ewa Korzeniewska ◽

Monika Harnisz ◽

Ewa Felis ◽

Sylwia Bajkacz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Resistance Genes ◽

Aquatic Environment ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Small Scale

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Modeling and Simulation of Source Separation in Sanitation Systems for Reducing Emissions of Antimicrobial Resistances

Water ◽

10.3390/w13233342 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 3342

Author(s):

Jörg Londong ◽

Marcus Barth ◽

Heinrich Söbke

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Resistance Genes ◽

Aquatic Environment ◽

Source Separation ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽

Antibiotic Resistant ◽

Sanitation Systems

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top ten threats to public health worldwide. In addition to public health, AMR also poses a major threat to food security and economic development. Current sanitation systems contribute to the emergence and spread of AMR and lack effective AMR mitigation measures. This study assesses source separation of blackwater as a mitigation measure against AMR. A source-separation-modified combined sanitation system with separate collection of blackwater and graywater is conceptually described. Measures taken at the source, such as the separate collection and discharge of material flows, were not considered so far on a load balance basis, i.e., they have not yet been evaluated for their effectiveness. The sanitation system described is compared with a combined system and a separate system regarding AMR emissions by means of simulation. AMR is represented in the simulation model by one proxy parameter each for antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole), antibiotic-resistant bacteria (extended-spectrum beta-lactamase E. Coli), and antibiotic resistance genes (blaTEM). The simulation results suggest that the source-separation-based sanitation system reduces emissions of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes into the aquatic environment by more than six logarithm steps compared to combined systems. Sulfamethoxazole emissions can be reduced by 75.5% by keeping blackwater separate from graywater and treating it sufficiently. In summary, sanitation systems incorporating source separation are, to date, among the most effective means of preventing the emission of AMR into the aquatic environment.

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A Risk-Based Approach for Managing Aquaculture Used Oxytetracycline-Induced TetR in Surface Water Across Taiwan Regions

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.803499 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Tien-Hsuan Lu ◽

Chi-Yun Chen ◽

Wei-Min Wang ◽

Chung-Min Liao

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Surface Water ◽

High Risk ◽

Aquatic Environment ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Resistance Risk ◽

Fugacity Model ◽

Aquaculture Ponds ◽

Aquaculture Industry ◽

The Impact

Oxytetracycline (OTC), one of the most important antibiotics in aquaculture industry, has been linked to emergence of antibiotic resistant genes in the aquatic environment. Given rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and unregulated use of antibiotics, it is necessary to implement measures to mitigate the impact of antibiotic resistance risk on environmental and human health. However, there is a lack of quantitative models to properly assess risk of antibiotic resistance associated with environmentally relevant antibiotic residues. To address this issue, here we developed a computational framework to assess antibiotic resistance risk posed by low-concentration OTC in aquaculture ponds and rivers across Taiwan regions. To this end, estimated amount of aquaculture used OTC as a crucial input parameter was incorporated into a multimedia fugacity model to predict environmental concentrations of OTC in surface water/sediment. A pharmacodynamic-based dose–response model was used to characterize the OTC concentration–antibiotic resistance relationships. The risk of antibiotic resistance selection in an aquatic environment could be assessed based on a probabilistic risk model. We also established a control measure model to manage the risks of substantial OTC-induced antibiotic resistance impacts. We found that OTC residues were likely to pose a high risk of tetracycline resistance (tetR) genes selection in aquaculture ponds among all the study basins, whereas risk of tetR genes selection in rivers experienced a variably changing fashion. We also showed that it was extremely difficult to moderate the tetR genes selection rates to less than 10% increase in aquaculture ponds situated at northeastern river basins in that the minimum reductions on OTC emission rates during spring, summer, and autumn were greater than 90%. On the other hand, water concentrations of OTC during spring and summer in southwestern rivers should be prioritized to be severely limited by reducing 67 and 25% of OTC emission rate, respectively. Overall, incorporating a computational fugacity model into a risk assessment framework can identify relative higher risk regions to provide the risk-based control strategies for public health decision-making and development of robust quantitative methods to zero-in on environment with high risk of tetR genes selection in relation to aquaculture-used pharmaceutical residues.

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Screening of organic pollutants in urban wastewater treatment plants and corresponding receiving waters

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2017.265 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 76 (4) ◽

pp. 832-846 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ann-Kathrin Wluka ◽

Laura Coenen ◽

Jan Schwarzbauer

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Surface Water ◽

Organic Contaminants ◽

Aquatic Environment ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Structural Diversity ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Receiving Waters ◽

Target Screening ◽

Wastewater Samples

There is a lack of knowledge in environmental pollution of the anthropogenic contaminants in wastewater and surface water. Several organic compounds merit special attention, because of their potential risk to the aquatic environment. Therefore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-based screening analyses were performed in order to identify anthropogenic organic contaminants and to reveal information on the structural diversity of individual compounds and to characterize their environmental behavior. Wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants in Germany, representing various capacities, and surface water samples from corresponding receiving waters were analyzed. Numerous substances were identified in the samples. Several compounds were treated inadequately during wastewater treatment, and their identification in surface waters highlights their potential impact on the aquatic environment. Contaminants were selected according to available information about their environmental relevance (e.g. persistence, bioaccumulation potential), their possible application or usage and their occurrence within the environment. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that non-target screening analyses be undertaken to identify the structural diversity of anthropogenic organic contaminants and that further investigations of specific anthropogenic compounds be undertaken as a high priority.

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