A comprehensive and global evaluation of residual antibiotics in agricultural soils: Accumulation, potential ecological risks, and attenuation strategies

Linfa Fang; Chengyu Chen; ShiYang Li; Pingping Ye; Yujia Shi; Gaurav Sharma; Binoy Sarkar; Sabry M Shaheen; Sang Soo Lee; Ran Xiao; Xinping Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115175

A comprehensive and global evaluation of residual antibiotics in agricultural soils: Accumulation, potential ecological risks, and attenuation strategies

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 Jun 26:262:115175. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115175. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Linfa Fang¹, Chengyu Chen², ShiYang Li³, Pingping Ye³, Yujia Shi³, Gaurav Sharma⁴, Binoy Sarkar⁵, Sabry M Shaheen⁶, Sang Soo Lee⁷, Ran Xiao⁸, Xinping Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Low-carbon Green Agriculture in Southwestern China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China.
² College of Natural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural & Rural Pollution Abatement and Environmental Safety, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China.
³ Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
⁴ International Research Centre of Nanotechnology for Himalayan Sustainability (IRCNHS), Shoolini University, Solan 173212 Himachal Pradesh, India.
⁵ Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia.
⁶ International Research Centre of Nanotechnology for Himalayan Sustainability (IRCNHS), Shoolini University, Solan 173212 Himachal Pradesh, India; University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water, and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil, and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany; King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment, and Arid Land Agriculture, Department of Arid Land Agriculture, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: shaheen@uni-wuppertal.de.
⁷ Department of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: cons@yonsei.ac.kr.
⁸ Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Low-carbon Green Agriculture in Southwestern China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China. Electronic address: xiaoran0012@swu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37379666
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115175

Abstract

The occurrence of antibiotics in agricultural soils has raised concerns due to their potential risks to ecosystems and human health. However, a comprehensive understanding of antibiotic accumulation, distribution, and potential risks to terrestrial ecosystems on a global scale is still limited. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the accumulation of antibiotics and their potential risks to soil microorganisms and plants, and highlighted the driving factors of antibiotic accumulation in agricultural soils based on 134 peer-reviewed studies (between 2000 and 2022). The results indicated that 56 types of antibiotics were detected at least once in agricultural soils with concentrations ranging from undetectable to over 7000 µg/kg. Doxycycline, tylosin, sulfamethoxazole, and enrofloxacin, belonging to the tetracyclines, macrolides, sulfonamides, and fluoroquinolones, respectively, were the most accumulated antibiotics in agricultural soil. The accumulation of TCs, SAs, and FQs was found to pose greater risks to soil microorganisms (average at 29.3%, 15.4%, and 21.8%) and plants (42.4%, 26.0%, and 38.7%) than other antibiotics. East China was identified as a hot spot for antibiotic contamination due to high levels of antibiotic concentration and ecological risk to soil microorganisms and plants. Antibiotic accumulation was found to be higher in vegetable fields (245.5 µg/kg) and orchards (212.4 µg/kg) compared to croplands (137.2 µg/kg). Furthermore, direct land application of manure resulted in a greater accumulation of TCs, SAs, and FQs accumulation in soils than compost fertilization. The level of antibiotics decreased with increasing soil pH and organic matter content, attributed to decreasing adsorption and enhancing degradation of antibiotics. In conclusion, this study highlights the need for further research on the impacts of antibiotics on soil ecological function in agricultural fields and their interaction mechanisms. Additionally, a whole-chain approach, consisting of antibiotic consumption reduction, manure management strategies, and remediation technology for soil contaminated with antibiotics, is needed to eliminate the potential environmental risks of antibiotics for sustainable and green agriculture.

Keywords: Antibiotics; Controlling strategies; Ecotoxicity; Emerging pollutants; Farmland; Geographical distribution.