Ecotoxicological assessment of antibiotics: A call for improved consideration of microorganisms |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark;2. Sino Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China;3. Unilever-Safety & Environmental Assurance Centre, Sharnbrook, United Kingdom;4. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden;5. Environment Department, University of York, York, UK;6. ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH, Flörsheim/Main, Germany;7. Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Department 3: Veterinary Drugs, Berlin, Germany;8. Environment Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada;9. Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, USA;10. Umweltbundesamt, Federal Environment Agency, Dessau, Germany;11. AstraZeneca Global Environment, Alderley Park, United Kingdom;12. Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China;13. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, Canada;1. Department of Chemistry, Krishna University, Machilipatnam, AP, India;2. Department of Organic Chemistry, Gayathri PG College, Vizianagaram, AP, India;3. Department of Nuclear Physics, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, AP, India;1. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;3. Key Laboratory of Health Risk Factors for Seafood of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan Municipal Center For Disease Control and Prevention, Zhoushan 316021, China;1. Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia do Solo, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, As Lagoas, s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain;2. Departamento de Bioquímica del Suelo, Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia (IIAG-CSIC), Apartado 12, Avda Vigo s/n, 15780 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;3. Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Escola Politécnica Superior de Enxeñaría, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Universitario, s/n, 27002 Lugo, Spain |
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| Abstract: | Antibiotics play a pivotal role in the management of infectious disease in humans, companion animals, livestock, and aquaculture operations at a global scale. Antibiotics are produced, consumed, and released into the environment at an unprecedented scale causing concern that the presence of antibiotic residues may adversely impact aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Here we critically review the ecotoxicological assessment of antibiotics as related to environmental risk assessment (ERA). We initially discuss the need for more specific protection goals based on the ecosystem service concept, and suggest that the ERA of antibiotics, through the application of a mode of toxic action approach, should make more use of ecotoxicological endpoints targeting microorganisms (especially bacteria) and microbial communities. Key ecosystem services provided by microorganisms and associated ecosystem service-providing units (e.g. taxa or functional groups) are identified. Approaches currently available for elucidating ecotoxicological effects on microorganisms are reviewed in detail and we conclude that microbial community-based tests should be used to complement single-species tests to offer more targeted protection of key ecosystem services. Specifically, we propose that ecotoxicological tests should not only assess microbial community function, but also microbial diversity (‘species’ richness) and antibiotic susceptibility. Promising areas for future basic and applied research of relevance to ERA are highlighted throughout the text. In this regard, the most fundamental knowledge gaps probably relate to our rudimentary understanding of the ecological roles of antibiotics in nature and possible adverse effects of environmental pollution with sub-inhibitory levels of antibiotics. |
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