Premium
Comparison of water, sediment, and plants for the monitoring of antibiotics: A case study on a river dedicated to fish farming
Author(s) -
Pouliquen Herve,
Delepee Raphael,
Thorin Chantal,
Haury Jacques,
LarhantecVerdier Michaelle,
Morvan MarieLine,
Bris Herve Le
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1897/08-238.1
Subject(s) - flumequine , oxolinic acid , oxytetracycline , florfenicol , contamination , environmental science , fish farming , environmental chemistry , sediment , environmental monitoring , antibiotics , fishery , aquaculture , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , ecology , chemistry , environmental engineering , nalidixic acid , paleontology , enrofloxacin , antibiotic resistance , ciprofloxacin , microbiology and biotechnology
Oxolinic acid, flumequine, oxytetracycline, and florfenicol are antibiotics commonly used in farming. Because an important percentage of these antibiotics given to fish and cattle ends up, directly or indirectly, in the freshwater environment, suitable tools for the monitoring of these antibiotics are needed. A French river was chosen because of the location of four fish farms and a sewage plant on its main course. First, a passive monitoring program involving water, sediment, and autochthonous bryophytes was performed at 25 sampling sites tested once every three months for one year. Second, an active monitoring method was performed using moss bags for a one‐month exposure period, both upstream and downstream of each potential source of antibiotics. Sediment and bryophyte samples, but not water samples, were found to be useful for monitoring environmental contamination by oxolinic acid, flumequine, oxytetracycline, and florfenicol. Sediments and bryophytes also appeared to be complementary media for dating the river's contamination by antibiotics. Data collected by both active and passive monitoring methods confirmed contamination of the river, mainly by flumequine and oxytetracycline, attributable to fish farming but also to terrestrial animal farming and perhaps human pharmaceuticals.