Occurrence of sulfonamides and tetracyclines in the coastal areas of the Yangtze River (China) Estuary

Abstract

Antibiotics have attracted global attention due to the ecological risks to environment. In this paper, solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were utilized to analyze the fugitive characteristics of 10 antibiotics of sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, sulfadimidine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole) and tetracyclines (tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline) in the coastal waters and surfece sediments of the Yangtze River Estuary and the ecological risks of antibiotics in water were estimated using ecological risk assessment method. The results have showed that 7 of the 10 antibiotics were detected in the water, with total concentrations ranging from 0.652 to 434.47 ng/L. 8 antibiotics were detected in the sediment, with total concentrations ranging from 0.091 to 499.23 ng/g. The main antibiotic species detected in the sediment and water varied seasonally. Higher concentrations in spatially distributed areas where rivers meet and where human activities have a more significant impact. The ecological risks were found to be higher in spring and autumn than those in winter and summer. Spatial variation in individual microbial communities was not evident in the sediments. The relationship between antibiotics and microorganisms in the environment was predominantly positive. Physical and chemical factors were significantly correlated for both antibiotics and microbial communities. This study can provide research ideas for other types of antibiotics and provide a basis for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Keywords: Antibiotics; Ecological risk; Occurrence characteristics; Water environment; Yangtze River Estuary.