Antibiotics in the environment: A review

Abstract

Due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human medicines, veterinary medicines, agriculture, aquaculture and their persistence, before the covid-19 pandemic, antibiotics were considered as most emerging pollutants of the 21st century. Due to population growth, economic development and longevity during the last 25 years in the low and middle-income group countries the prescription and use of antibiotics have increased many folds. This results in presence of antibiotics in all the compartments of the environment i.e. surface water, groundwater, soil, milk, plants, vegetables, fruits and fish. Wastewater generated from hospitals, households, aquaculture is the hotspot of the residual antibiotics. Human health is adversely affected by consuming antibiotics contaminated plant and animal food and by drinking antibiotics contaminated water. Antibiotics not only causes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes resistant to antibiotics but also affects the ecosystem, biogeochemical cycling, microbial growth and microbial population. The major threat to humans due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is the development of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The concentration of the antibiotics in the aquatic environment, milk samples, plants, vegetables, and fruits consumed by humans and their impact on animals and humans are documented in this review.