Fast and robust simultaneous determination of three veterinary antibiotics in groundwater and surface water using a tandem solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography–UV detection

The evaluation of parameter effects on cefoperazone treatability with new generation anodes

In this study it was aimed to investigate the treatability of cefoperazone with new generation Sb-doped SnO₂-Ni anodes. For this purpose, it was studied with Sn/Sb/Ni: 500/8/1 anodes for the oxidation of aqueous solution containing cefoperazone antibiotic by addition of different types of electrolyte. Potassium chloride was found as the best electrolyte type affecting the electrochemical reactions positively even at lower concentrations (750 mg/L⁻¹). At pH 8 the best results were obtained, which is the neutral pH value of the aqueous solution. 50 mA/cm² was found as the best value for current density parameter, providing full mineralization just after 60 min of reaction. The removal efficiencies increased generally with the increase of current density, because active oxidants occur increasingly at higher current values. According to the results of the study it was seen that, electrochemical oxidation processes with Sn/Sb/Ni–Ti anodes could be carried out efficiently without need adding extra electrolyte (salt) and pH adjustment step for real wastewaters containing antibiotics. Thus, it was found an easy and economic way to perform electrochemical oxidation with Sn/Sb/Ni–Ti anodes for the wastewaters containing cefoperazone antibiotics.

Antibiotics in the aquatic environments: A review of lakes, China

The potential threat of antibiotics to the environment and human health has raised significant concerns in recent years. The consumption and production of antibiotics in China are the highest in the world due to its rapid economic development and huge population, possibly resulting in the high detection frequencies and concentrations of antibiotics in aquatic environments of China. As a water resource, lakes in China play an important role in sustainable economic and social development. Understanding the current state of antibiotics in lakes in China is important. Closed and semi-closed lakes provide an ideal medium for the accumulation of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This review summarizes the current levels of antibiotic exposure in relevant environmental compartments in lakes. The ecological and health risks of antibiotics are also evaluated. This review concludes that 39 antibiotics have been detected in the aquatic environments of lakes in China. The levels of antibiotic contamination in lakes in China is relatively high on the global scale. Antibiotic contamination is higher in sediment than water and aquatic organisms. Quinolone antibiotics (QNs) pose the greatest risks. The contents of antibiotics in aquatic organisms are far lower than their maximum residual limits (MRLs), with the exception of the organisms in Honghu Lake. The lakes experience high levels of ARG contamination. A greater assessment of ARG presence and antibiotic exposure are urgent.

Simultaneous determination of seven multiclass veterinary antibiotics in surface water samples in the Republic of Korea using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A simultaneous determination method using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed to detect and quantify the presence of seven multiclass veterinary antibiotics (13 compounds in total) in surface water samples, which included the effluents of livestock wastewater and sewage treatment plants, as well as the reservoir drainage areas from dense animal farms. The pH of all water samples was adjusted to 2 or 6 before solid-phase extraction using Oasis HLB cartridges. The developed method was fully validated in terms of linearity, method detection limit, method quantitation limit, accuracy, and precision. The linearity of all tested drugs was good, with R² determination coefficients ≥ 0.9931. The method detection limits and method quantitation limits were 0.1-74.3 and 0.5-236.6 ng/L, respectively. Accuracy and precision values were 71-120 and 1-17%, respectively. The determination method was successfully applied for monitoring water samples obtained from the Yeongsan River in 2015. The most frequently detected antibiotics were lincomycin (96%), sulfamethazine (90%), sulfamethoxazole (88%), and sulfathiazole (50%); the maximum concentrations of which were 398.9, 1151.3, 533.1, and 307.4 ng/L, respectively. Overall, the greatest numbers and concentrations of detected antibiotics were found in samples from the effluents of livestock wastewater, sewage treatment plants, and reservoir drainage areas. Diverse veterinary antibiotics were present, and their presence was dependent upon the commercial sales and environmental properties of the analytes, the geographical positions of the sampling points, and the origin of the water.

Simultaneous detection of antibiotics and other drug residues in the dissolved and particulate phases of water by an off-line SPE combined with on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS: Method development and application

Due to their widespread use in human and animal healthcare, antibiotics and other drug residues are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment. Given their potential impacts on ecosystem functioning and public health, the quantification of environmental drug residues has become a necessity. Various analysis techniques have been found to be suitable for reliable detection of such compounds. However, quantification can be difficult because these compounds are present at trace or ultra-trace levels. Consequently, the accuracy of environmental analyses depends on both the efficiency and the robustness of the extraction and quantification method. In this work, an off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) combined with on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS was applied to the simultaneous extraction and quantification of 26 pharmaceutical products, including 18 antibiotics, dissolved in a water phase. Optimal conditions were determined and then applied to assess the contamination level of the targeted drug residues in water collected from four sites in Northern France: a river, the input and output of an aerated lagoon, and a wastewater treatment plant. Drug residues associated with suspended solid matter (SSM) were also quantified in this work using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) combined with an on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS system in order to complete an assessment of the degree of total background pollution.

Does co-extracted dissolved organic carbon cause artefacts in cell-based bioassays?

Bioanalytical tools are increasingly being employed for water quality monitoring, with applications including samples that are rich in natural organic matter (or dissolved organic carbon, DOC), such as wastewater. While issues associated with co-extracted DOC have been identified for chemical analysis and for bioassays with isolated enzymes, little is known about its effect on cell-based bioassays. Using mixture experiments as diagnostic tools, this study aims to assess whether different molecular weight fractions of wastewater-derived DOC adversely affect cell-based bioassays, specifically the bioluminescence inhibition test with the bacteria Vibrio fischeri, the combined algae assay with Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and the human cell line AREc32 assay for oxidative stress. DOC did not cause suppressive effects in mixtures with reference compounds. Binary mixtures further indicated that co-extracted DOC did not disturb cell-based bioassays, while slight deviations from toxicity predictions for low molecular weight fractions may be partially due to the availability of natural components to V. fischeri, in addition to organic micropollutants.

A qualitative survey of five antibiotics in a water treatment plant in central plateau of Iran

Introduction. This study aimed to survey a total of five common human and veterinary antibiotics based on SPE-LC-MS-MS technology in a water treatment plant at central plateau of Iran. Also two sampling techniques, passive and grab samplings, were compared in the detection of selected antibiotics. Materials and Methods. In January to March 2012, grab and passive samples were taken from the influent and effluent of a water treatment plant. The samples were prepared using solid-phase extraction (SPE), and extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Results. The results showed that enrofloxacin, oxytetracycline, and tylosin were not detected in none of the samples. However, ampicillin was detected in the grab and passive samples taken from the influent (source water) of the plant, and ciprofloxacin was detected in passive samples taken from the influent and effluent (finished water) of the plant. Conclusion. The results imply that passive sampling is a better approach than grab sampling for the investigation of antibiotics in aquatic environments. The presence of ampicillin and ciprofloxacin in source water and finished water of the water treatment plant may lead to potential emergence of resistant bacteria that should be considered in future studies.

Soil bacterial consortia and previous exposure enhance the biodegradation of sulfonamides from pig manure

Persistence or degradation of synthetic antibiotics in soil is crucial in assessing their environmental risks. Microbial catabolic activity in a sandy loamy soil with pig manure using 12C- and 14C-labelled sulfamethazine (SMZ) respirometry showed that SMZ was not readily degradable. But after 100 days, degradation in sulfadiazine-exposed manure was 9.2%, far greater than soil and organic manure (0.5% and 0.11%, respectively, p < 0.05). Abiotic degradation was not detected suggesting microbial catabolism as main degradation mechanism. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism showed biodiversity increases within 1 day of SMZ spiking and especially after 200 days, although some species plummeted. A clone library from the treatment with highest degradation showed that most bacteria belonged to α, β and γ classes of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Acidobacteria. Proteobacteria (α, β and γ), Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes which were the most abundant classes on day 1 also decreased most following prolonged exposure. From the matrix showing the highest degradation rate, 17 SMZ-resistant isolates biodegraded low levels of 14C-labelled SMZ when each species was incubated separately (0.2-1.5%) but biodegradation was enhanced when the four isolates with the highest biodegradation were incubated in a consortium (Bacillus licheniformis, Pseudomonas putida, Alcaligenes sp. and Aquamicrobium defluvium as per 16S rRNA gene sequencing), removing up to 7.8% of SMZ after 20 days. One of these species (B. licheniformis) was a known livestock and occasional human pathogen. Despite an environmental role of these species in sulfonamide bioremediation, the possibility of horizontal transfer of pathogenicity and resistance genes should caution against an indiscriminate use of these species as sulfonamide degraders.

Genotoxic effect of ciprofloxacin during photolytic decomposition monitored by the in vitro micronucleus test (MNvit) in HepG2 cells

PURPOSE

Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a broad-spectrum, second-generation fluoroquinolone, has frequently been found in hospital wastewaters and effluents of sewage treatment plants. CIP is scarcely biodegradable, has toxic effects on microorganisms and is photosensitive. The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic potential of CIP in human HepG2 liver cells during photolysis.

METHODS

Photolysis of CIP was performed in aqueous solution by irradiation with an Hg lamp, and transformation products were monitored by HPLC-MS/MS and by the determination of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of CIP and of the irradiated samples were determined after 24 h of exposure using the WST-1 assay and the in vitro micronucleus (MN) test in HepG2 cells.

RESULTS

The concentration of CIP decreased during photolysis, whereas the content of DOC remained unchanged. CIP and its transformation products were not cytotoxic towards HepG2 cells. A concentration-dependent increase of MN frequencies was observed for the parent compound CIP (lowest observed effect level, 1.2 μmol L(-1)). Furthermore, CIP and the irradiated samples were found to be genotoxic with a significant increase relative to the parent compound after 32 min (P < 0.05). A significant reduction of genotoxicity was found after 2 h of irradiation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Photolytic decomposition of aqueous CIP leads to genotoxic transformation products. This proves that irradiated samples of CIP are able to exert heritable genotoxic effects on human liver cells in vitro. Therefore, photolysis as a technique for wastewater treatment needs to be evaluated in detail in further studies, not only for CIP but in general.

Development of an HPLC method to analyze four veterinary antibiotics in soils and aqueous media and validation through fate studies

A simple, yet robust analytical method was developed to detect and quantify three sulfonamides (SA), namely sulfamethoxazole (SMO), sulfachloropyridazine (SCP), and sulfamethazine (SM), and a macrolide tylosin (TT) in aqueous (calcium chloride and leachate solutions) and solid (agricultural soils) matrices using high performance liquid chromatography and ultra violet detection at 290 nm (TT) and 275 nm (SA) respectively. Chromatography was performed using a Phenomenex Onyx Monolithic C(18) column for TT and a C(18) Luna column for sulfonamides as single analytes eluted isocratically with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: trifluoroacetic acid: tetrahydrofuran in the ratio 22.5:68:9.5 for TT, 40:55:5 for SMO, 32:63:5 for SCP and 31:64:5 for SM (v/v) at 1.0 mL min(-1) and an injection volume of 20 μL. A gradient method to detect all three sulfonamides in a single run was also developed. The soil residue analysis consisted of extraction with dichloromethane and pre-concentration steps as the aqueous phase was measured directly. The limits of detection at an S/N (signal: noise) ratio of 3 were 20.0 μg L(-1) and 50 μg L(-1) for all sulfonamides and tylosin respectively. The average recoveries for all sulfonamides and tylosin in aqueous matrices ranged from 95 to 105% across the six concentrations investigated. Recoveries from the soils were slightly lower for sulfonamides and tylosin. The isocratic method was used to determine the sorption and degradation of sulfonamides in soils, while the gradient method was used to determine degradation kinetics and leachate concentrations in soils and aqueous systems.

A novel colorimetric aptasensor using gold nanoparticle for a highly sensitive and specific detection of oxytetracycline

We have successfully developed a novel colorimetric aptasensor using gold nanoparticles for highly sensitive and specific detection of oxytetracycline (OTC), one of the most common antibacterial agents. A highly specific ssDNA aptamer that bind to OTC with high affinity was employed to discriminate other tetracyclines (TCs), such as doxycycline (DOX) and tetracycline (TET). Aggregation of AuNPs was specifically induced by desorption of the OTC binding aptamers (OBAs) from the surface of gold nanoparticles as a result of the aptamer-target interaction, leading to the color change from red to purple. The detection limit of OTC was enhanced up to 25 nM, which is 20-fold lower than the limit USA-EPA regulated, with two orders of magnitudes in its linear dynamic range by successful optimization on the amount of the aptamers, AuNPs, and salts. This colorimetric aptasensor is advantageous over the other conventional methods in terms of its simple signal generation and detection with the naked eye, which can be realized in on-site detection of antibacterial agents.

Development and validation of a rapid method for the determination of tetracycline in activated sludge by SPE clean-up and HPLC-UV detection

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid analytical method for tetracycline (TC) determination in activated sludge. The analytical method developed is applicable on activated sludge containing a volatile suspended solid concentration below 10 g l(-1), which nearly includes all wastewater treatment plants and the major proportion of membrane bioreactors. The analytical method included two steps: sample clean-up followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection analysis. Prior to the analysis, TC was extracted from the matrix by a mixture of EDTA and McIlvaine buffer. Sample clean-up was carried out by solid phase extraction (SPE) with strong anion exchange (SAX) cartridges. SAX cartridges retained organic matters interfering with TC. Analysis was performed by HPLC-UV with a gradient elution. The method was validated as the R2 value was 0.9991 for the calibration curve. Recoveries were between 92% (+/- 6%) and 103% (+/- 9%). The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.1 mg l(-1) and 0.5 mg l(-1), respectively. Accuracy was not entirely satisfactory, but should be related to the complexity of the matrix, which is a hindrance to the precision of the method. The method was also validated on industrial samples.

The occurrence of chloramphenicol and tetracyclines in municipal sewage and the Nanming River, Guiyang City, China

The occurrence of antibiotics including chloramphenciol (CAP), oxytetracycline (OTC) and tetracycline (TC) was studied in municipal sewage, river water and sediment. Temporal and spatial variations of antibiotic concentrations in municipal sewage, river water and sediment were evaluated. In municipal sewage, CAP, OTC and TC concentrations were in the range of 5.8-47.4, 0.16-5.7 and 0.7-65.2 microg L(-1), respectively, and showed a temporal variation with high antibiotic concentrations appearing in the cold season. Untreated municipal sewage can seriously influence both river water and sediment. Generally, high antibiotic concentrations in river water appeared in winter owing to the low flow condition as well as the high antibiotic concentration in the sewage. However, high CAP and OTC concentrations in sediment were observed in summer most likely because runoff in high flow season can carry wastes from some origins (e.g. livestock farms in the countryside) into the river. The partitioning of antibiotics in river water and sediment suggests a lower sorption of TCs to the sediment compared to previous studies, which is believed to be caused by the high Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations, ionic strength and pH of the river water in the carbonate area.

Effects of agricultural conditions on the leaching behaviour of veterinary antibiotics in soils

Antibiotics may be released to soils during the application of manure as fertiliser to land. The compounds may subsequently be transported to and contaminate groundwater and surface waters. This paper describes a series of lysimeter-based studies to explore the leaching behaviour of three veterinary antibiotics (sulfachloropyridazine, oxytetracycline and tylosin) under different conditions that could occur in the agricultural environment. The specific objectives were to: (1) explore the influence of slurry amendment and incorporation on leaching; (2) assess the effects of climate on leaching behaviour; and (3) evaluate the predictive capability of a leaching model used in the regulatory assessment of veterinary medicines. Sulfachloropyridazine was detected sporadically in leachate at concentrations up to 0.66 microg L(-1) under typical irrigation conditions and more frequently at concentrations up to 8.5 microg L(-1) under extreme irrigation conditions. Incorporation and timing of rainfall had no effect on leaching behaviour. Oxytetracycline and tylosin were not detected in any leachate samples. These differences in behaviour were explained by the sorption and persistence characteristics of the compounds. Comparison of the experimental measurements with simulations from the leaching model indicated that the model greatly underestimates the transport of antibiotics to groundwater which raises questions over the application of these models in the regulatory risk assessment process.

Specific detection of oxytetracycline using DNA aptamer-immobilized interdigitated array electrode chip

An electrochemical sensing system for oxytetracycline (OTC) detection was developed using ssDNA aptamer immobilized on gold interdigitated array (IDA) electrode chip. A highly specific ssDNA aptamer that bind to OTC with high affinity was employed to discriminate other tetracyclines (TCs), such as doxycycline (DOX) and tetracycline (TET). The immobilized thiol-modified aptamer on gold electrode chip served as a biorecognition element for the target molecules and the electrochemical signals generated from interactions between the aptamers and the target molecules was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). The current decrease due to the interference of bound OTC, DOX or TET was analyzed with the electron flow produced by a redox reaction between ferro- and ferricyanide. The specificity of developed EC-biosensor for OTC was highly distinguishable from the structurally similar antibiotics (DOX and TET). The dynamic range was determined to be 1-100 nM of OTC concentration in semi-logarithmic coordinates.

Single-stranded DNA aptamers specific for antibiotics tetracyclines

Tetracyclines (TCs) are a group of antibiotics comprising of a common tetracycline (TET) nucleus with variable X(1) and X(2) positions on 5 and 6 carbon atoms, such as oxytetracycline (OTC) and doxycycline (DOX). In this study, the tetracycline group specific (TGS) ssDNA aptamers were identified by modified SELEX method by employing tosylactivated magnetic beads (TMB) coated with OTC, TET, and DOX, respectively, as targets and counter targets. Twenty TGS-aptamers were selected, of which seven aptamers, designated as T7, T15, T19, T20, T22, T23, and T24, showed high affinity to the basic TET backbone (K(d)=63-483 nM). The specificity of these TGS-aptamers to structural analogues followed the order in which the TCs was employed during SELEX process (OTC>TET>DOX) except aptamer T22, which was highly specific to TET than OTC or DOX. Aptamers that were specific to one target molecule but fail to bind the other structurally related TCs were eliminated during counter selection steps. Three aptamers, T7, T19, and T23 contained palindromic consensus sequence motif GGTGTGG. The remaining TGS-aptamers showed many consensus sequences that are truncated forms of this palindrome forming mirror image or inverted sequences. For example, GTGG or its inverted form, GGTG motif was found in all TGS-aptamers. A consensus sequence motif TGTGCT or its truncated terminal T-residue was found in most TGS-aptamers, which is predicted to be essential for high affinity and group specificity. These TGS-aptamers have potential applications such as target drug delivery, and detection of TCs in pharmaceutical preparations and contaminated food products.

Phenotyping and genotyping of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from a natural river basin

Scientists have become increasingly concerned about the occurrence of antibacterial resistance in the environment. In this study, Escherichia coli resistant to one or more antibiotics among nine antibiotics was screened from Wenyu River Basin in Beijing, China, with mean frequency of 48.7 +/- 8.7% of 388 isolates in summer and 47 +/- 6% of 236 isolates in winter. The mean multiantibiotic resistance (MAR) index in summer was 0.11 +/- 0.03, slightly lower than that (0.14 +/- 0.04) in winter. Most frequent resistance appeared for sulfonamides, tetracycline, and ampicillin. The distribution of 20 tetracycline, three sulfonamide, and three beta-lactam resistance genes was assessed in the resistant isolates. While 97% of the ampicillin (AMP) resistant mechanism could be explained by the resistance gene TEM, 90% of the tetracycline (TC) and 96% of the sulfonamide (SXT) resistances could be explained by tet(A), tet(B), tet(M), and their combinations and sul(I), sul(II), sul(III), and their combinations, respectively. tet(M), a tetracycline-resistant gene originally detected in Gram-positive bacteria, and its combinations with tet(A) or tet(B) were first detected in E. coli isolated from a natural river basin, suggesting that tet(M) in E. coli might have been transferred from other bacterial species through horizontal gene transfer, which was supported by the fact that no tet(M) was detected in the isolates of human and chicken sources, except for only one isolate from swine. The source of sulfonamide-resistant E. coli in the river was supposed to be mainly from humans, based on a comparison of the sulfonamide resistance genotypes in animals and humans.

Determination of photoirradiated tetracyclines in water by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection based reaction of rhodamine B with cerium (IV)

A simple, selective and sensitive method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlorotetracycline, demeclocycline, doxycycline and meclocycline based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection. The procedure was based on the chemiluminescent enhancement by photoirradiated tetracyclines of the cerium (IV)-rhodamine B system in sulphuric acid medium. The six tetracyclines were separated on an Aquasil-C18 column with a gradient elution using a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1 mol L(-1) phosphate buffer as mobile phase, photoderivatized using a photoreactor consisting of a tube reactor coil of PFA and a 8W Xenon lamp. Under the optimized conditions, the method was validated with respect to linearity, precision, limits of detection and quantification and accuracy. The relative standard deviation (RSD) on intra-day precision was below 10% and detection limits ranged between 0.12 and 0.34 microg L(-1). The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of tetracyclines in surface water samples. A possible mechanism of the chemiluminescence in the system is discussed.

Rapid simultaneous determination of 14 sulfonamides in wastewater by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes a rapid method for the determination of 14 kinds of sulfonamides (SAs) in wastewater using SPE, and LC-MS/MS with positive ESI (ESI(+)) and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The SPE was performed on an Oasis hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced (HLB) cartridge. Chromatographic separation on a C18 column was achieved using a binary eluent containing methanol and water with 0.2% formic acid. Typical recoveries of the analytes ranged from 22.3 to 87.0% at a fortification level of 100 ng/L. The LODs in wastewater except sulfathiazole (3 ng/L) could be detected and quantified at levels as low as 1 ng/L. Finally, the method was applied to water from the municipal outlet and the aquaculture wastewater effluent. Sulfamethazine (SM(2)), sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMP), and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) were most frequently found in wastewater in a concentration range between 1.2 and 31.7 ng/L.

Quantitative structure-activity relationship model for prediction of genotoxic potential for quinolone antibacterials

Antibiotics are of concern because of their widespread usage, their potential role in the spread and maintenance of bacterial resistance, and because of the selection pressure on microbes. In this study, the genotoxic potential of 20 quinolone antibacterials, including 5 first-generation, 8 second-generation, and 7 third-generation quinolones, was determined. While all of the antibacterials studied showed genotoxic potential, the molar concentration for each antibacterial that produces 10% (EC10) of the maximum response of corresponding antibacterial ranged from 0.61 to 2917.0 nM, and was greatly dependent on chemical structures. A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) was established by applying a quantum chemical modeling method to determine the factors required for the genotoxic potential of quinolone antibacterials. The octanol-water coefficient (logP(ow)) adjusted bythe pH and energies of the highest occupied molecular orbital (epsilon(HOMO)) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (epsilon(LUMO)) were selected as hydrophobic and electronic chemical descriptors, respectively. The genotoxic potentials of quinolone antibacterials were found to be dependent on their logP(ow) and epsilon(HOMO), while the effects of epsilon(LUMO) on the genotoxic potentials could not be identified. The QSAR model was also used to predict the genotoxic potentials for 14 quinolone antibacterials, including 1 second-generation, 2 third-generation, and 11 fourth-generation quinolone antibacterials. A correlation between the genotoxic potentials and their minimal inhibition concentrations (MIC50) against Streptococcus pneumoniae from the literature for 18 quinolone antibacterials was observed, providing a potential method to estimate MIC50.

The dissipation and transport of veterinary antibiotics in a sandy loam soil

The environmental fate of the antibiotics sulfachloropyridazine and oxytetracycline was investigated in a sandy loam soil. Liquid pig manure was fortified with the compounds and then applied to soil plots to investigate leaching, dissipation and surface run-off under field conditions. Additionally, as the macrolide antibiotic tylosin had been administered to the pigs from which the slurry had been sourced, this was also analysed for in the samples collected. Sulfachloropyridazine dissipated rapidly with DT(50) and DT(90) values of 3.5 and 18.9 days but oxytetracycline was more persistent with DT(50) and DT(90) values of 21.7 and 98.3 days. Both sulfachloropyridazine and oxytetracyline were detected in surface run-off samples at maximum concentrations of 25.9 and 0.9microg/l respectively but only sulfachloropyridazine was detected in soil water samples at a maximum concentration of 0.78microg/l at 40cm depth 20 days after treatment. Tylosin was not detected in any soil or water samples. The results indicated that tylosin, when applied in slurry, posed very little risk of accumulating in soil or contaminating ground or surface water. However, tylosin may pose a risk if used to treat animals on pasture and risks arising from transformation products of tylosin, formed during slurry storage, cannot be ruled out. Oxytetracycline posed a very low risk of ground or surface water contamination but had the potential to persist in soils and sulfachloropyridazine posed a moderate risk of contaminating ground or surface water but had low potential to accumulate in soils. These findings were consistent with the sorption and persistence characteristics of the compounds and support a number of broad-scale monitoring studies that have measured these antibiotic classes in the environment.

Determination of amprolium, carbadox, monensin, and tylosin in surface water by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Antibiotics present in the environment are recently considered as emerging contaminants, and have raised increasing concerns about their potential risks to ecosystems and human health. In addition to the utilization for treatment, antibiotics are also routinely added as supplements in livestock feed to promote animal growth. A portion of the administered dose used for these purposes can be excreted into animal manure, and land application of the animal manure as plant fertilizers enhances the dissemination of antibiotics in the environment. It is a common practice to simultaneously administer multiple classes of antibiotics to livestock in an animal production farm. This study attempts to develop a protocol to determine four commonly used veterinary pharmaceuticals, amprolium, carbadox, monensin, and tylosin, in surface runoff from a livestock farm. A single-cartridge solid-phase extraction procedure was developed to simultaneously extract these veterinary antibiotics from surface water which were subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 89 to 113%, and the limits of quantitation were 8, 25, 1, and 35 ng/L for amprolium, carbodox, monensin, and tylosin, respectively. In the surface runoff from a livestock farm, amprolium was most frequently detected with the concentration range of 10-288 ng/L. Monensin was frequently detected with concentrations up to 37 ng/L. Tylosin was detected in two out of eleven samples, and carbadox was not detected in the surface runoff. The results indicate that the developed analytical method can be utilized to determine multiple classes of veterinary antibiotics present in surface runoff originating from animal farms.

Determination of pharmaceuticals from different therapeutic classes in wastewaters by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive analytical method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of pharmaceuticals from different therapeutic classes, i.e. five sulfonamide (SA) and trimethoprim antimicrobials and the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, in effluent wastewaters at trace levels. Effluent samples from treatment of wastewater were enriched by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using the Waters Oasis HLB cartridge. The analytes were identified and quantified by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry operated in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, using positive electrospray ionization. The pharmaceuticals were, consequently, quantified both by use of isotopically labelled internal standards and by standard addition methods to address the issue of matrix effects related to signal suppression by co-eluting compounds. Average recoveries from fortified samples were usually >70%, with relative standard deviations below 20%. Method detection limits in wastewater matrices were between 7.0 and 10 ng L(-1). Identification points (IPs) were used for unequivocal identification of target analytes in real samples. Diclofenac, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole were mainly detected, in the concentration range 10 to 400 ng L(-1), in effluent samples collected from four different sewage-treatment plants in Greece.

Occurrence of sulfonamide antimicrobials in private water wells in Washington County, Idaho, USA

Samples from six private wells formerly used as sources for drinking water by the residents of Washington County (Weiser, Idaho) were collected to assess the impact of a nearby confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) on the quality of the local groundwater. All six samples were found contaminated by two veterinary antimicrobials, sulfamethazine (at concentrations from 0.076 to 0.22 microg/l) and sulfadimethoxine (at concentrations from 0.046 to 0.068 microg/l). These groundwater samples also contained elevated concentrations of nitrate and ammonium. Three of the sampled wells have nitrate levels that exceeded the maximum contaminant level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water, with nitrate concentration as high as 39.1mg/l. All but one well showed nitrate, which instead contained ammonium at 1.22 mg/l. Analysis of the nitrate and ammonium in these samples by isotopic ratio mass spectrometry indicated delta(15)N characteristic of an animal or human waste source. Results from this study underscore the role of CAFO as an important source of antibiotic contamination of groundwater.

Multi-component analysis of tetracyclines, sulfonamides and tylosin in swine manure by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A multi-component method focussing on thorough sample preparation has been developed for simultaneous analysis of swine manure for three classes of antibiotic-tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and tylosin. Liquid manure was initially freeze-dried and homogenised by pulverization before extraction by pressurised liquid extraction. The extraction was performed at 75 degrees C and 2,500 psig in three steps using two cycles with 0.2 mol L(-1) citric acid buffer (pH 4.7) and one cycle with a mixture of 80% methanol with 0.2 mol L(-1) citric acid (pH 3). After liquid-liquid extraction with heptane to remove lipids, the pH of the manure was adjusted to 3 with formic acid and the sample was vacuum-filtered through 0.6 mum glass-fibre filters. Finally the samples were pre-concentrated by tandem SPE (SAX-HLB). Recoveries were determined for manure samples spiked at three concentrations (50-5,000 microg kg(-1) dry matter); quantification was achieved by matrix-matched calibration. Recoveries were >70% except for oxytetracycline (42-54%), sulfadiazine (59-73%), and tylosin (9-35%) and did not vary with concentration or from day-to-day. Limits of quantification (LOQ) for all compounds, determined as a signal-to-noise ratio of 10, were in the range 10-100 microg kg(-1) dry matter. The suitability of the method was assessed by analysis of swine manure samples from six different pig-production sites, e.g. finishing pigs, sows, or mixed production. Residues of antibiotics were detected in all samples. The largest amounts were found for tetracyclines (up to 30 mg kg(-1) dry matter for the sum of CTC and ECTC). Sulfonamides were detected at concentrations up to 2 mg kg(-1) dry matter (SDZ); tylosin was not detected in any samples.

Validated application of a new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of selected flavonoids and phenolic acids in human plasma using electrochemical detection

We developed a sensitive method for determination of 23 flavonoids and phenolic acids, which represent phenolic acids and five subclasses of flavonoids. Plasma samples were extracted with selective solid-phase-extraction columns and separated by RP-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For detection an electrochemical detector was used. Identification and test of purity were carried out via retention times and spectra analyses. Limits of detection varied from 1.45 to 22.27 nmol/l. Recovery varied from 81% to 106%. Reproducibility for all analytes was below 10% (coefficient of variation, CV (%)) and ranged between 3.1% and 9.8%. This method can be applied to samples from interventional studies as well as observational studies.

Column studies to investigate the fate of veterinary antibiotics in clay soils following slurry application to agricultural land

The environment may be exposed to veterinary medicines administered to livestock due to the application of organic fertilisers to land. For other groups of substances that are applied to agricultural land (e.g. pesticides), preferential flow in underdrained clay soils has been identified as an extremely important pathway by which pollution of surface waters can occur. Three soil column leaching experiments have therefore been carried out using a clay soil to investigate the fate of a range of antibiotics from the sulphonamide, tetracycline and macrolide groups. These column studies complemented a range of other experiments at the field and semi-field scales, as well as modelling studies which are being reported in separate papers. Each column study had a different objective. The first examined the effect of pig slurry on the mobility of antibiotics in clay loam soil. The second experiment investigated changes in soil water pH due to the application of slurry. The final experiment quantified the extent to which soil tillage prior to slurry application can reduce the leaching of antibiotic residues found in slurry. It was found that slurry had no impact on the leaching of oxytetracycline although soil water pH was affected significantly by slurry application. It was also shown that pre-tillage can substantially reduce the leaching of antibiotic residues through macroporous clay soils.

Transport of veterinary antibiotics in overland flow following the application of slurry to arable land

The environment may be exposed to veterinary medicines administered to livestock due to the application of organic fertilisers to land. Slurry is often spread on to fields following the harvest of the previous crop. Despite recommendations to do so, the slurry may not be ploughed into the soil for some time. If precipitation occurs before incorporation then it is likely that the slurry and any antibiotic residues in the slurry will be transported towards surface waters in overland flow. This phenomenon has been investigated in a plot study and transport via 'tramlines' has been compared to that through crop stubble. Three veterinary antibiotics, from the tetracycline, sulphonamide and macrolide groups, were applied to the plots in pig slurry. Twenty four hours after the application the plots were irrigated. Following this the plots received natural rainfall. Sulphachloropyridazine was detected in runoff from the tramline plot at a peak concentration of 703.2 microgl(-1) and oxytetracycline at 71.7 microgl(-1). Peak concentrations from the plot that did not contain a tramline were lower at 415.5 and 32 microgl(-1), respectively. In contrast, tylosin was not detected at all. Mass losses of the compounds were also greater from the tramline plot due to greater runoff generation. These did not exceed 0.42% for sulphachloropyridazine and 0.07% for oxytetracycline however.

Evaluation of a lower tier exposure assessment model for veterinary medicines

Veterinary antibiotics are used in large quantities in the European Union, and one of the key environmental exposure routes is via the application of manure containing excreted antibiotics to arable land as fertilizer. It is a legal requirement to assess the environmental risk of veterinary medicines, and this is done in two stages. A key decision parameter in phase I of these assessments is the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) in soil, and if a trigger value of 100 microg/kg is exceeded, then further phase II studies on the fate, behavior, and effects are carried out. A widely used model to calculate manure and soil PECs is the Uniform Approach. This study evaluated the Uniform Approach in two ways: first, by reviewing existing data, addressing data gaps by performing degradation studies, and then calculating soil and manure PECs for the veterinary antibiotics sulfachloropyridazine, oxytetracycline, and tylosin applied to arable land via liquid pig manure and comparing these data with the results from two field-scale fate studies; second, by collating monitoring data and making a comparison with modeled data. The data comparisons indicated that the Uniform Approach model performed conservatively, with initial PECs being up to 2 orders of magnitude greater than measured environmental concentrations, providing confidence in the use of the model in the risk assessment process, although the assumption of first-order degradation kinetics in the model may underestimate the environmental persistence of veterinary antibiotics.