An HPLC-UV/FLD method for simultaneous detection of ten antibiotics in surface waters was developed. Antibiotics were extracted from water using solid phase extraction. An Atlantis T3 column was used with acetonitrile and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid as a mobile phase for separation, with a total running time of 45 min. Signal detection was performed at 280 nm; fluoroquinolones were additionally quantified by fluorescence detection. Validation parameters such as linearity, recovery and precision were evaluated. The limits of detection (LOD) in river waters were in the range 0.1-1.3 µg/L for antibiotics detected by UV, and 0.039 and 0.073 µg/Lfor fluoroquinolones detected by FLD. LOD are sufficiently low to consider this method as a first alternative for HPLC-MS methods that will allow alerting for the presence of antibiotics in surface waters. This screening method is rapid, sensitive, reproducible and economical.
Keywords: Antibiotic analysis; emergent contaminants; fluoroquinolones and sulfonamides; multiresidue analysis method; simultaneous analysis by HPLC-UV/FLD; superficial water analysis..