Occurrence, distribution and bioaccumulation of antibiotics in the Liao River Basin in China

Abstract

The occurrence and distribution of 19 antibiotics including ten sulfonamides, four quinolones, three tetracyclines and two macrolides in water, sediment, and biota samples from the Liao River Basin, China were investigated in the present study. The samples were collected in May 2012, and laboratory analyses revealed that antibiotics were widely distributed in the Liao River Basin. Macrolides made up the majority of antibiotics in the water ranging from not detected (ND) to 3162.22 ng L(-1), while tetracyclines and macrolides were the predominant antibiotics in the sediments, ranging from ND to 404.82 μg kg(-1) (mean 32.11 μg kg(-1) dw) and ND to 375.13 (mean 32.77 μg kg(-1) dw), with detection frequencies of 37.3% and 38.1%, respectively. In biological samples, quinolones were the most frequently detected antibiotics (57.1-100%), with concentrations ranging from 286.6-1655.3 μg kg(-1). The highest bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of 45407 L kg(-1) was found for enrofloxacin. The phase distribution calculation showed that tetracyclines were the most strongly adsorbed antibiotics in the sediment, with the highest pseudo-partitioning coefficient values, ranging from 1299 to 1499 L kg(-1). The geographical differences of antibiotic concentrations were largely due to anthropogenic activities and the sewage discharges from the local cities along the rivers.

Occurrence, Distribution, and Risk Assessment of Antibiotics in a Subtropical River-Reservoir System

“…The average concentrations of five categories decreased in the order: tetracyclines (88.8 ± 34.2 µg/kg) > fluoroquinolones (53.7 ± 33.6 µg/kg) > β-lactamases (33.7 ± 23.4 µg/kg) > sulfonamides (18.1 ± 12.8 µg/kg) > others (11.5 ± 9.8 µg/kg). The tetracyclines in the sediments showed the highest concentration levels, which is consistent with previous results in other catchments in China, such as the Huangpu River [48], Liao River [49], Jiulong River and Nanliu River [50]. In addition, OTC, NOR, PENV, SMM and LIN were the dominant compounds in the corresponding categories, respectively (Table 2).…”

“…Probably, the reason for this is that total organic matter and cation exchange capacity in the sediment exert a greater affinity with the OTC, but the SMM may have relatively higher water solubility and weaker affinity to the sediments [51,52]. Furthermore, the mean concentration of OTC (44.6 ± 27.4 µg/kg) in the sediments was obviously higher than that in the Liao River (29.1 µg/kg) [49], Huangpu River (6.9 µg/kg) [48], and Yellow River Delta (4.9 µg/kg) [53], but comparable to that in the Taihu Lake [54]. However, it was dramatically lower than that in the Wangyang River (36,148.3 µg/kg) [35] and southern Baltic Sea [55].…”

Removal of tetracycline antibiotics from aqueous solution by amino-Fe (III) functionalized SBA15

“…Recently, TCs have been detected in most bodies of water influenced by raw or treated wastewater, including rivers, streams, lakes and ground waters, many of which are used as drinking water sources [6][7][8][9]. The increased presence of TCs in the environment raises concerns about their potential to foster the selection of resistant bacteria and resistance genes in the long term as well as serious impacts on the ecosystem [10][11][12].…”

Iron-incorporated mesoporous silica for enhanced adsorption of tetracycline in aqueous solution

“…[2][3][4] Recently, the detection of TC in aquatic environments has raised concern about its potential to promote the development of antibiotic resistance genes and pose a risk to humans. [5][6][7][8] As shown in Fig. S1, † TC possesses tricarbonylamide, phenolic diketone, and dimethylamine groups, which cause complexity in its behavior in aquatic media.…”