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Determination of clindamycin and its metabolite clindamycin sulfoxide in diverse sewage samples

  • 14th EuCheMS International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE 2013, Barcelona, June 25 - 28, 2013)
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Abstract

In a research project on risk management of harmful substances in water cycles, clindamycin and 12 further antibiotics were determined in different sewage samples. In contrast to other antibiotics, an increase of the clindamycin concentration in the final effluent in comparison to the influent of the sewage treatment plant (STP) was observed. A back transformation from the main metabolite clindamycin sulfoxide to clindamycin during the denitrification process has been discussed. Therefore, the concentration of this metabolite was measured additionally. Clindamycin sulfoxide was stable in the STP and the assumption of back transformation of the metabolite to clindamycin was confuted. To explain the increasing clindamycin concentration in the STP, the ratio of clindamycin sulfoxide to clindamycin was observed. The ratio increased in dry spells with concentrated samples and with long dwell time in the sewer system. A short hydraulic retention in waste water system and diluted samples in periods of extreme rainfall lead to a lower ratio of clindamycin sulfoxide to clindamycin concentration. A plausible explanation of this behavior could be that clindamycin was adsorbed strongly to a component of the sewage during this long residence time and in the STP, clindamycin was released. In the common sample preparation in the lab, clindamycin was not released. Measurements of clindamycin and clindamycin sulfoxide in the influent and effluent of STP is advised for sewage monitoring.

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Acknowledgments

The project ANTI-Resist (02WRS1272A) is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the initiative Risk Management of Emerging Compounds and Pathogens in the Water Cycle (RISKWa).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Reinhard Oertel, Sara Schubert, Viktoria Mühlbauer & Wilhelm Kirch

  2. Pharmacy of University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany

    Bozena Büttner

  3. Institute of Urban Water Management, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Conrad Marx

Authors
  1. Reinhard Oertel
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  2. Sara Schubert
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  3. Viktoria Mühlbauer
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  4. Bozena Büttner
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  5. Conrad Marx
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  6. Wilhelm Kirch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Reinhard Oertel.

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Responsible editor: Hongwen Sun

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Oertel, R., Schubert, S., Mühlbauer, V. et al. Determination of clindamycin and its metabolite clindamycin sulfoxide in diverse sewage samples. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 11764–11769 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2333-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2333-2

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