Fluoroquinolone antibiotics in the aquatic environment: environmental distribution, the research status and eco-toxicity

Abstract

The increasing presence of fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics in aquatic environments is a growing concern due to their widespread use, negatively impacting aquatic organisms. This paper provides an overview of the environmental distribution, sources, fate, and both single and mixed toxicity of FQ antibiotics in aquatic environments. It also examines the accumulation of FQ antibiotics in aquatic organisms and their transfer into the human body through the food chain. The study identifies critical factors such as metabolism characteristics, physiochemical characteristics, light, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and environmental compatibility that influence the presence of FQ antibiotics in aquatic environments. Mixed pollutants of FQ antibiotics pose significant risks to the ecological environment. Additionally, the paper critically discusses advanced treatment technologies designed to remove FQ antibiotics from wastewater, focusing on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs). The discussion also includes the benefits and limitations of these technologies in degrading FQ antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants. The paper concludes by proposing new approaches for regulating and controlling FQ antibiotics to aid in the development of ecological protection measures.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• Aquatic environment
• ecotoxicity
• environmental distribution
• fluoroquinolone antibiotics
• treatment technologies

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the authors for their assistance in analyzing the data.

Author contributions

Jia Du wrote the main manuscript and revised the manuscript; Wenfei Huang, Ying Pan, Shaodan Xu, Huanxuan Li coordinated the project; Qinghua Liu designed the project, and revised the manuscript. All contributing authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by Suzhou Health-originated Bio-technology, Ltd., Suzhou, China, Project grants [JYP2022-BP and JYP2022-HB].