Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risks of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics in the Dongjiang River and the Beijiang River, Pearl River Delta, South China

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The occurrence and distribution of five selected fluoroquinolones (FQs) were studied in the Dongjiang River and the Beijiang River, South China. Ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and enoxacin, used as human and veterinary medicines, were detected with detection frequencies of 75%–100% and average concentrations of 9.5–18.8 ng L−1 in the two rivers. Meanwhile, enrofloxacin, which is only used as veterinary medicine, was detected at lower levels (2.9–4.0 ng L−1) than those of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and enoxacin. The spatial distribution of the five FQs exhibited a close relationship with the intensity of local human activity. Certain antibiotics were detected in industrial wastewater and domestic sewage at considerably higher concentrations than those measured in the river water, indicating important sources of antibiotic contamination. Finally, an ecological risk assessment based on the calculated risk quotient showed that ciprofloxacin could pose high risk to Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa). The two rivers are important sources of drinking water and should arouse the attention of relevant departments. Effective measures must be taken to strengthen the protection of the two rivers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chen Y, Leung SY, Wong WC, Selvam A (2013) Preliminary occurrence studies of antibiotic residues in Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta. Environ Monit Assess 185:745–754. doi:10.1007/s10661-012-2589-x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eguchi K, Nagase H, Ozawa M, Endoh YS, Goto K, Hirata K (2004) Evaluation of antimicrobial agents for veterinary use in the ecotoxicity test using microalgae. Chemosphere 57:1733–1738. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.07.017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2003) European commission technical guidance document in support of commission directive 93//67/EEC on risk assessment for new notified substances and commission regulation (EC) no. 1488/94 on risk assessment for existing substance, Part II. European Commission, pp 100–103

  • Gao L, Yang XM, Zhen SF, Liu Y (2010) Remote sensing analysis of gravity-center migration of the aquaculture in the Zhujiang River Estuary. J Tropical Oceanogra 29:35–40 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Halling-Sorensen B, Lutzhoft HCH, Andersen HR, Ingerslev F (2000) Environmental risk assessment of antibiotics: comparison of mecillinam, trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin. J Antimicrob Chemoth 46:53–58. doi:10.1093/jac/46.suppl_1.53

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann A, Alder AC, Koller T, Widmer RM (1998) Identification of fluoroquinolone antibiotics as the main source of umuC genotoxicity in native hospital wastewater. Environ Toxicol Chem 17:377–382. doi:10.1002/etc.5620170305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hernando MD, Mezcua M, Fernandez-Alba AR, Barcelo D (2006) Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater effluents, surface waters and sediments. Talanta 69:334–342. doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2005.09.037

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isidori M, Lavorgna M, Nardelli A, Pascarella L, Parrella A (2005) Toxic and genotoxic evaluation of six antibiotics on non-target organisms. Sci Total Environ 346:87–98. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.11.017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jjemba PK (2002) The potential impact of veterinary and human therapeutic agents in manure and biosolids on plants grown on arable land: a review. Agric Ecosyst Environ 93:267–278. doi:10.1016/S0167-8809(01)00350-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemper N (2008) Veterinary antibiotics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment. Eco Indic 8:1–13. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2007.06.002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kools SAE, Moltmann JF, Knacker T (2008) Estimating the use of veterinary medicines in the European Union. Regul Toxicol Pharm 50:59–65. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2007.06.003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo Y, Xu L, Rysz M, Wang Y, Zhang H, Alvarez PJJ (2011) Occurrence and transport of tetracycline, sulfonamide, quinolone, and macrolide antibiotics in the Haihe River Basin, China. Environ Sci Technol 45:1827–1833. doi:10.1021/es104009s

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng X, Zhang K, Tang C, Huang Q, Yu Y, Cui J (2011) Distribution pattern, behavior, and fate of antibacterials in urban aquatic environments in South China. J Environ Monitor 13:446–454. doi:10.1039/c0em00394h

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson AA, Belden JB, Lydy MJ (2005) Toxicity of fluoroquinolone antibiotics to aquatic organisms. Environ Toxicol Chem 24:423–430. doi:10.1897/04-210r.1

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saling P, Maisch R, Silvani M, König N (2005) Assessing the environmental-hazard potential for life cycle assessment, ecoefficiency and SEE balance®. Int J Life Cycle Assess 10:364–371. doi:10.1065/lca2005.08.220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thiele-Bruhn S (2003) Pharmaceutical antibiotic compounds in soils: a review. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 166:145–167. doi:10.1002/jpln.200390023

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L (2006) The current situation of antibiotics pollution and the effect on environmental microcosm. Pharm Biotechnol 1:265–288. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1005-8915.2006.02.016 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang G, Cheng J (2009) Utilization of quinolones antibacterials in our hospital between 2006 and 2008. Eval Anal Drug Use Hosp China 9:354–357. doi:10.14009/j.issn.1672-2124.2009.05.029 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Water Resource Department of Guangdong (2009) Guangdong water resource bulletin of the year 2008. http://www.gdsw.gov.cn (in Chinese)

  • Wu Y, Liao X, Wang Z, Chen Z, Zhou Y (2006a) Hydrolysis characteristics of enrofloxacin. Chin J Appl Ecol 17:1086–1090. doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.2006.0216 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Y, Wang Z, Liao X, Chen Z (2006b) Effects of enrofloxacin on microorganisms in wetlands. Acta Ecol Sinica 26:2640–2645. doi:10.3321/j.issn:1000-0933.2006.08.029 (in Chinese)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu WH, Zhang G, Zou SC, Li XD, Liu YC (2006) Occurrence and seasonal changes of antibiotics in the Victoria Harbour and the Pearl River, South China. Environ Sci 27:2458–2462. doi:10.3321/j.issn:0250-3301.2006.12.016 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu WH, Zhang G, Zou SC, Li XD, Liu YC (2007) Determination of selected antibiotics in the Victoria Harbour and the Pearl River, South China using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Environ Pollut 145:672–679. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2006.05.038

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu WH, Yan W, Li X, Zou Y, Chen X, Huang W (2013) Antibiotics in riverine runoff of the Pearl River Delta and Pearl River Estuary, China: concentrations, mass loading and ecological risks. Environ Pollut 182:402–407. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2013.08.004

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan C, Yang Y, Zhou J, Liu M, Nie M, Shi H, Gu L (2013) Antibiotics in the surface water of the Yangtze Estuary: occurrence, distribution and risk assessment. Environ Pollut 175:22–29. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2012.12.008

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ying GG, Peng PA, Zhao JL, Ren MZ, Chen HM, Wei DB, Li BG, Song JZ (2012) The ecological risk evaluation of chemicals from Rivers: take of the Dongjiang River for example. Science Press, Beijing, pp 128–139

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, Liu YH (2010) Utilization of quinolones antibacterials in our hospital between 2007 and 2009. Guide Chin Med 8:112–113. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1671-8194.2010.26.075 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang RJ, Zhang G, Tang JH, Xu WH, Li J, Liu X (2012a) Levels, spatial distribution and sources of selected antibiotics in the East River (Dongjiang), South China. Aquat Ecosyst Health Manage 15:210–218. doi:10.1080/14634988.2012.689576

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang RJ, Zhang G, Zheng Q, Tang JH, Chen YJ, Xu WH (2012b) Occurrence and risks of antibiotics in the Laizhou Bay, China: impacts of river discharge. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 80:208–215. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2012.03.002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou LJ, Wu QL, Zhang BB, Zhao YG, Zhao BY (2016) Occurrence, spatiotemporal distribution, mass balance and ecological risks of antibiotics in subtropical shallow Lake Taihu, China. Environ Sci Proc Impacts 18:500–513. doi:10.1039/c6em00062b

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Knowledge Innovative Programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-Q02-01), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NOs. 41463011 and 41473118), the National Key Basic Research Programme of China (2013CB956102), and the BaGui Fellowship from Guangxi Province of China.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Nanning, China

    Ruiling Zhang, Ruijie Zhang, Yinghui Wang & Kefu Yu

  2. Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, China

    Ruiling Zhang, Ruijie Zhang, Yinghui Wang & Kefu Yu

  3. School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China

    Ruiling Zhang, Ruijie Zhang, Yinghui Wang & Kefu Yu

  4. School of the Environment, Guangxi University, Nanning, China

    Ruiling Zhang

  5. School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Shichun Zou & Ying Yang

  6. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China

    Jun Li & Gan Zhang

Authors
  1. Ruiling Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ruijie Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shichun Zou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ying Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jun Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yinghui Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Kefu Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Gan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ruijie Zhang or Shichun Zou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, R., Zhang, R., Zou, S. et al. Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risks of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics in the Dongjiang River and the Beijiang River, Pearl River Delta, South China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 99, 46–53 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2107-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2107-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation