Antibiotics in fish caught from ice-sealed waters: Spatial and species variations, tissue distribution, bioaccumulation, and human health risk

Enzyme-Assisted Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled with a DNA Nanowalker for Dual-Amplified Detection of Chloramphenicol in Animal-Derived Food Products

Chloramphenicol (CAP), an aminoalcohol antibiotic, exerts its action on bacterial ribosomes, thereby obstructing protein synthesis. However, the use of CAP in husbandry may lead to its excessive accumulation in animal-derived food products. This presents potential risks to consumer health. This study developed a novel dual-amplification fluorescence detection method by integrating enzyme-assisted solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a Fe3O4@Au NP-based DNA nanowalker for the detection of CAP in food. The combination of a quartz rod-based SPME biosensor and DNA nanowalker effectively eliminated matrix interference, enabling the conversion of CAP and enhancement of detection signals through two cyclic amplification processes. The strategy demonstrated high sensitivity with a limit of detection of 28.1 aM as well as a wide linear range from 0.1 fM to 1 nM (with R2 > 0.99). This method also demonstrates robust stability and accuracy in detecting trace amounts of CAP in both authentic and prepared positive samples.

Fully integrated sensor array for additives, permittivity, and pH monitoring for fishery

Additive abuse in fishery, such as tricaine methanesulfonate (MS222), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), and malachite green (MG), threatens public human health and interferes with the ecological equilibrium of water resources. However, the majority of the present detection methods suffer from high costs, complex operations, and poor portability. Therefore, real-time and rapid detection of the above additive by mobile devices is becoming increasingly important. Here we report the fabrication and performance of an entirely electrochemical system with USB-stick size for simultaneous detection of MS222, CPFX, and MG, as well as pH and permittivity. The limits of detections are 0.17, 0.67, and 0.28 µg/mL, while the resolution ratios are 10 %, 10 %, and 5 % for MS222, MG, and CPFX, respectively. For both pH and permittivity, they have linear regressions measured by brightness and capacitance of the sample respectively, at the range of 1.5-9 (pH) and 10-20 (permittivity). The interference experiments, using target analytes (40 μg/mL) and 15 interfering analytes (80 μg/mL), demonstrated the anti-interference performance of the sensor patches. The field studies on carps, catfishes, and chubs indicated that the developed integrated portable system could be used for real sample analysis with high performance.

Antibiotic biotransformation potential of biofilms in streams receiving treated wastewater effluent: Biodegradation mechanism and bacterial community structure

Antibiotics are a widely distributed and effective antibacterial agents. Human medical treatment and livestock aquaculture are major sources of antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems, potentially damaging the biofilms that are the foundation of stream food webs. In this study, we conducted antibiotic biotransformation experiments using biofilms cultured in streams upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant outlet to distinguish different fate processes of antibiotics in biofilms. It was found that stream biofilms have biotransformation potential mainly for specific sulfonamide antibiotics. Flavobacterium and Dyadobacter were identified to be associated with biofilm biotransformation of antibiotics by 16S rDNA sequencing. Besides, microorganisms released from treated wastewater integrated into downstream biofilm communities, thereby enhancing the biotransformation potential of downstream biofilm communities compared to upstream biofilm. These findings enriched the understanding of the biotransformation of micropollutants by stream biofilms, and to thus promote the development of biofilm-based monitoring technologies.

Antibiotic Resistance in Plant Pathogenic Bacteria: Recent Data and Environmental Impact of Unchecked Use and the Potential of Biocontrol Agents as an Eco-Friendly Alternative

The economic impact of phytopathogenic bacteria on agriculture is staggering, costing billions of US dollars globally. Pseudomonas syringae is the top most phytopathogenic bacteria, having more than 60 pathovars, which cause bacteria speck in tomatoes, halo blight in beans, and so on. Although antibiotics or a combination of antibiotics are used to manage infectious diseases in plants, they are employed far less in agriculture compared to human and animal populations. Moreover, the majority of antibiotics used in plants are immediately washed away, leading to environmental damage to ecosystems and food chains. Due to the serious risk of antibiotic resistance (AR) and the potential for environmental contamination with antibiotic residues and resistance genes, the use of unchecked antibiotics against phytopathogenic bacteria is not advisable. Despite the significant concern regarding AR in the world today, there are inadequate and outdated data on the AR of phytopathogenic bacteria. This review presents recent AR data on plant pathogenic bacteria (PPB), along with their environmental impact. In light of these findings, we suggest the use of biocontrol agents as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and effective alternative to controlling phytopathogenic bacteria.

Maternal or Paternal Antibiotics? Intergenerational Transmission and Reproductive Toxicity in Zebrafish

Despite the known direct toxicity of various antibiotics to aquatic organisms, the potential chronic impact through intergenerational transmission on reproduction remains elusive. Here, we exposed zebrafish to a mixture of 15 commonly consumed antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations (1 and 100 μg L-1) with a cross-mating design. A high accumulation of antibiotics was detected in the ovary (up to 904.58 ng g-1) and testis (up to 1704.49 ng g-1) of F0 fish. The transmission of antibiotics from the F0 generation to the subsequent generation (F1 offspring) was confirmed with a transmission rate (ki) ranging from 0.11 to 2.32. The maternal transfer of antibiotics was significantly higher, relative to paternal transfer, due to a greater role of transmission through ovarian enrichment and oviposition compared to testis enrichment. There were similar impairments in reproductive and developmental indexes on F1 eggs found following both female and male parental exposure. Almost all antibiotics were eliminated in F2 eggs in comparison to F1 eggs. However, there were still reproductive and developmental toxic responses observed in F2 fish, suggesting that antibiotic concentration levels were not the only criterion for evaluating the toxic effects for each generation. These findings unveil the intergenerational transmission mechanism of antibiotics in fish models and underscore their potential and lasting impact in aquatic environments.

Contrasted Antibiotics and Pesticides Occurrence in Fish Exposed In Situ to Urban Effluents: A 20-Day Caging Experiment

Urban freshwater ecosystems receive a wide array of organic pollutants through wastewater-treatment plant (WWTP) discharges and agricultural runoff. Evaluating the fate and effects of antibiotics and pesticides can be a challenging task, especially the effects on freshwater vertebrates because of their abilities to metabolize and excrete these chemicals and because of their high mobility and escape behavior when exposed to stressful environmental conditions. In the present study, 37 wild gudgeons (Gobio gobio) were caged for a period of up to 20 days, upstream and downstream of a WWTP effluent discharge in the Orge River (a tributary of the Seine River, France). Levels of pesticides and antibiotics in fish muscles were monitored weekly and compared with environmental contamination (water and sediments). Our results highlighted a slight bioaccumulation of pesticides in the gudgeon muscles at the downstream site after 20 days of exposure. Concerning antibiotics, ofloxacin was the most detected compound in fish muscles (85% of occurrence) and ranged from undetectable to 8 ng g-1  dry weight. Antibiotic levels in fish muscle were not higher at the downstream site and did not increase with exposure duration, despite high levels in the water (up to 29 times greater than upstream). Potential ecotoxicological effects were also evaluated: Body condition did not differ between the caging location and exposure time. Three oxidative status markers in the fish livers showed significant shifts after 14 days of caging. Our results suggest a high clearance rate of antibiotics and, to a lesser extent, of pesticides in wild gudgeons, which could be explained by changes in xenobiotic metabolism with pollutant exposure. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1-11. © 2023 SETAC.

Antibiotic residues in milk and dairy products in China: occurrence and human health concerns

Although veterinary antibiotics are essential in preventing and treating clinical diseases in cattle, the frequent use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic residues in milk and dairy products, consequently threatening human health. The massive milk consumption makes it necessary to assess antibiotic pollution and health impact comprehensively. Hence, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate antibiotics in milk and dairy products and their potential health risk. We searched four databases using multiple keyword combinations to retrieve 1582 pieces of literature and finally included eighteen articles to analyze antibiotic residues in milk and dairy products. These studies detected seven antibiotics in different regions of China. Quinolones and β-lactam antibiotics exceeded the MRL for raw and commercial milk. The maximum levels of sulfonamides and tetracyclines were detected in the same raw milk sample, exceeding the MRL. The estimated THQ and HI values in milk and dairy products are less than 1 for adults, indicating negligible noncarcinogenic health risk of antibiotics through consuming milk and dairy products. Children face higher health risks than adults, with the HI and THQ of quinolones exceeding 1. It is worth noting that quinolones accounted for nearly 89% of health risks associated with all antibiotics. Finally, we put forward possible research directions in the future, such as specific health effects of total dietary exposure to low levels of antibiotics. In addition, policymakers should effectively improve this problem from the perspectives of antibiotic use supervision, antibiotic residue analysis in food, and continuous environmental monitoring and control.

Coupled multimedia fate and bioaccumulation models for predicting fate of florfenicol and fluoroquinolones in water and fish organs in the seasonal ice-sealed reservoir

Ice formation in reservoirs could promote the accumulation of antibiotics in fish, potentially leading to elevated concentrations in fish muscles, kidneys, and livers. However, for the seasonal ice-sealed reservoirs, antibiotic sampling and detecting conditions in water and fish are normally limited by the ice cover. Additionally, previous studies on the prediction of antibiotics accumulated in seasonal ice-sealed reservoir fish are scarce. This study presents a coupled model incorporating a multimedia fate model and a bioaccumulation model to predict antibiotic fate in water and the muscles, kidneys, and livers of fish in seasonal ice-sealed reservoirs. Prediction concentrations of florfenicol were higher than those of ofloxacin and norfloxacin in both water and fish from the seasonal ice-sealed reservoir. Log bioaccumulation factors of antibiotics in Cyprinus carpio and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis in January 2021 were higher than those in October 2020 by 21.5% and 12.6%, respectively. Antibiotics mean transfer fluxes from water to fish muscles, kidneys, and livers increased owing to the reservoir ice-cover formation date advancing by 13.0%, 77.1%, and 61.0%, respectively. This work provides a modeling tool for investigating the fate and mass transfer flux of antibiotics in biological and environmental phases in seasonal ice-sealed reservoirs.

Identifying interactions of linked irrigated lake-groundwater system by combining hydrodynamic and hydrochemical method

During the irrigation period, the interactions between the linked lake-groundwater systems are complicated and change. This is because natural and human activities are happening at the same time, which makes it harder to identify the interactions. This study uses data on water level, hydrochemistry, and hydrogen-oxygen stable isotopes to analyze the hydrodynamics, electrical conductivity (EC), isotopic characteristics, and spatial distribution of lake water and groundwater to reveal lake-groundwater interactions. The results indicate that the hydrochemical type of Chagan Lake and groundwater is dominated by the HCO3-Na type. The key hydrochemical indicator EC obtained by principal component analysis (PCA) can be used to reveal the lake-groundwater interaction, and the interaction should be identified by location according to the significant correlation between hierarchical clustering results and regional distribution. The lake body's geographic coefficient of variation for EC and δ18O is small, and irrigation return flow is one factor in the region's surface water's significant spatial variation for EC and δ18O. The three study methods indicate that the groundwater supplies the lake in the vicinity of the Huoling River-Hongzi Pool, while in other sections, the lake water leaks and replenishes the groundwater, exhibiting geographic inconsistency. The isotope method was employed as a support tool to determine that groundwater might recharge the lake at Xinmiao Pool. According to the calculations of the Mix SIAR model, the groundwater recharge contribution rate in the Xinmiao Pool section is approximately 51%, while in the remaining sections, the contribution rate of lake water to groundwater ranges from approximately 25% to 52%. Therefore, the identification of the interaction is crucial for the linked irrigated lake-groundwater system where water sources are scarce and threatened by agricultural pollution.

Antibiotics in a seasonal ice-sealed reservoir: Occurrence, temporal variation, prioritization, and source apportionment

Antibiotics are prevalent in the aquatic environment as emerging contaminants. Their knowledge of seasonal ice-sealed reservoirs, however, is limited. The occurrence, temporal variation, and prioritization of twenty-three antibiotics in Shitoukoumen Reservoir during its ice-free and ice-sealed periods, as well as the source apportionment of the high-priority antibiotics, were investigated in this study. The results showed that florfenicol was the dominant antibiotic in Shitoukoumen Reservoir, with different median concentrations of 75.0 ± 6.5 ng L^-1 and 7.0 ± 1.7 ng kg^-1 in the water and ice, respectively. The concentrations of florfenicol, sulfaguanidine, and sulfamonomethoxine in the water of the reservoir water varied over time, but their monthly mass loads from inflow rivers were similar during ice-free and ice-sealed periods. This indicated that other factors, such as aquacultural practice, non-point source rain runoff, and the blocking effect of ice, determined the temporal variations of the three antibiotics and resulted in their relatively high concentrations during the ice-free period. High-priority antibiotics included erythromycin, florfenicol, ofloxacin, sarafloxacin, sulfaquinoxaline, thiamphenicol, and tylosin. Aquaculture was the primary source of high-priority antibiotics, accounting for 67.3 % and 59.4 % of the total high-priority antibiotic concentrations during ice-free and ice-sealed periods, respectively. The findings suggest that aquaculture, rain runoff, and ice blocking should all be considered as factors influencing antibiotic variations in a seasonal ice-sealed reservoir.