Until recently, the behaviors of antibiotics and their ecotoxicological impact have been overlooked in the environment. The topic is broad and encompasses a wide range of organisms including microorganisms, algae, invertebrates, and vertebrates inhabiting various aquatic ecosystems. Changing the equilibrium of any 1 component in such systems disrupts the balance of the whole system. The manufacturing and frequent use of fluoroquinolones in human and animal medicine raises great concern over the increase of antibiotic resistance prevalence in microorganisms; however, in addition, the fate of antibiotic parent and metabolite compounds entering environmental ecosystems through various pathways raises environmental impact concerns. Research has focused on the concentration of antibiotics present in environmental samples and the acute toxicity to organisms by way of animal assessment models; however, it remains unclear what role low-level chronic exposure plays in ecotoxicological effects on lifeforms in aquatic environments. The aim of the present review was to assess the levels of fluorquinolone use in animal and human medicine, to determine the pathways of dissemination, and to highlight the ecotoxicological implications in freshwater environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2647-2656. © 2016 SETAC.
Keywords: Antibiotics; Ecotoxicity; Freshwater ecology; Residues.
© 2016 SETAC.