Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kim, Dogun
• Nguyen, Luong N.
• Oh, Seungdae

Titel

Ecological impact of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on microbial community of aerobic activated sludge

Ist Teil von

• Environmental geochemistry and health, 2020-06, Vol.42 (6), p.1531-1541

Ort / Verlag

Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Quelle

SpringerLink

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This study investigated the effects and fate of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) at environmentally relevant levels (50–500 µg/L) in activated sludge (AS) microbial communities under aerobic conditions. Exposure to 500 µg/L of CIP decreased species diversity by about 20% and significantly altered the phylogenetic structure of AS communities compared to those of control communities (no CIP exposure), while there were no significant changes upon exposure to 50 µg/L of CIP. Analysis of community composition revealed that exposure to 500 µg/L of CIP significantly reduced the relative abundance of Rhodobacteraceae and Nakamurellaceae by more than tenfold. These species frequently occur in AS communities across many full-scale wastewater treatment plants and are involved in key ecosystem functions (i.e., organic matter and nitrogen removal). Our analyses showed that 50–500 µg/L CIP was poorly removed in AS (about 20% removal), implying that the majority of CIP from AS processes may be released with either their effluents or waste sludge. We therefore strongly recommend further research on CIP residuals and/or post-treatment processes (e.g., anaerobic digestion) for waste streams that may cause ecological risks in receiving water bodies.