Antibiotics and Environment

Abstract

Since the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, the use of antibiotics has become the golden standard in the treatment of bacterial infections of all kinds [...]

A Comparative Analysis of Aquatic and Polyethylene-Associated Antibiotic-Resistant Microbiota in the Mediterranean Sea

“…The int1 gene was found in all the samples, indicating a warning for the spread of ARB and ARGs, as already indicated elsewhere [ 19 ]. Furthermore, the frequency of class I integrons has been postulated as an indicator of anthropogenic pollution in the environment [ 62 ].…”

“…The possibility of finding antibiotic-resistant bacteria in marine waters is now well documented and attributable to the excessive use of antibiotics in the healthcare and farm [ 19 ]; these reach usually the sea through wastewater or simply from the river. In the present study, the bla TEM gene was found in all analyzed samples, and the β-lactams resistance was frequently observed in the marine ecosystem [ 19 , 21 , 25 , 26 ]. The resistance to β-lactam antibiotics was frequently found in seawater, fishes, and wild marine species, like sea turtles, which could be involved in the spread of this resistance [ 20 , 58 , 59 ].…”

“…The distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria through plastic debris in aquatic ecosystems is underestimated. The antibacterial resistance is considered as one of the biggest public threat to wild and farm animals and human health [ 18 , 19 ]. The presence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in environmental matrices can contribute to the diffusion of resistance determinants among environmental bacteria [ 7 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

Towards a new treatment against polymicrobial infections: high antibacterial activity of lemon IntegroPectin againstPseudomonas aeruginosaandEscherichia coli

“…The antibacterial activity of IntePec and commercial citrus pectin was preliminarily assessed through the determination of MBC and MIC. Specifically, stationary grown cells of P. aeruginosa were inoculated (1.19x10 7 ±8.01x10 5 CFUmL -1 n = 6) in Luria Bertani medium (hereafter named as LB and composed of [g L -1 ] sodium chloride [10], trypton [10], and yeast extract [5]) amended with increasing concentrations (i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20, and 40 mg mL -1 ) of either lemon IntPec or commercial citrus pectin, being then challenged for 24 h at 37°C under mechanical shacking (180 rpm).…”

“…Unfortunately, the bacterium exhibits significant resistance to both innate immune anti-microbial peptides and to several antibiotics. [4] The increase of antibiotic resistant phenotypes and antibiotic resistance genes in the environment [5] and in widely different organisms, [6] requires to urgently identify and develop at industrial level new antimicrobial solutions against said pathogens.…”