A study on the impacts of antibiotic pollution and its remediation

• Published in: Environmental quality management 2024-07, Vol.33 (4), p.783-794
• Main Authors: Talukder, Pratik, Chanda, Sounak, Mishra, Meghna, Sinha, Baishakhi, Dutta, Anushka, Adhikary, Ayan, Mukherjee, Arundhuti, Datta, Suravi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: agricultural residues; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial infections; Bacterial physiology; biological conversion; Environmental management; Environmental quality; Manufacturing industry; Medical treatment; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Penicillin; Pollution; Public health; Rivers; Soil bacteria; Soil microorganisms; Soil water; Water pollution
• ISSN: 1088-1913; 1520-6483
• DOI: 10.1002/tqem.22152

Antibiotics' ability to treat bacterial infections has long been seen as a pillar of modern medicine. Antibiotic abuse and widespread overuse, however, have resulted in unexpected consequences that call for significant adjustments in policy to be mitigated. High levels of antibiotic emissions from manufacturing facilities may help to develop new types of resistant bacteria. Such pollution is acknowledged by many scientists, business leaders, decision‐makers, and other interested parties as an unneeded and intolerable risk to public health worldwide. Antibiotics are frequently produced by soil microorganisms. The bacteria and fungi are microorganisms that produce antibiotics that are helpful in preventing or treating disease. With the invention of Penicillin, antibiotics gained widespread recognition. Since then, they have fundamentally changed how bacterial infections in animals and humans are treated. Since a significant portion of antibiotics are released from human and animal bodies without being degraded, this means that various environmental components, including soils and river water, are contaminated with antibiotics. In this case, it is anticipated that the structure and productivity of the microbiota inhabiting such environments may be impacted by the varied concentration of this type of microbial inhibitor present in different ecosystems. This effect can take place at various levels, including modifications to the population's overall structure, the selection of resistant species, or changes to bacterial physiology.