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STAR Grant R829008 - Fate and Effects of Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial Agents in Aquatic Ecosystems (2001 - 2004)
Project Purpose:
The major of objective of this study is to assess the fate, attenuation, and ecotoxicity of selected fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics on surface water quality. Defining the fate of these compounds is important because FQs are used extensively in both agriculture and medicine, although little is known, as of yet, about their fate or impact. They are of concern because they are usually released to the environment in a bioactive form, and have also been shown to confer antibiotic resistance in exposed microorganisms to both FQ and non-FQ antibiotics. Here we will assess FQ fate and impact on both microbial and invertebrate populations using both laboratory and field mesocosm studies with the goal of determining whether FQs impact water quality at environmentally relevant exposure concentrations.
Project Description(s):
The objective of this research project is to assess the fate, attenuation, and ecotoxicity of selected fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics on surface water quality. These compounds were selected for specific investigation because: (1) they are potent antibacterial agents and possible genotoxins; (2) they are used in agriculture and medicine; and (3) little is known about their environmental fate or impact. The goal of the research project is to assess FQs under both laboratory- and field-scale conditions to permit the extension of fundamental results to a practical scale. Emphasis is being placed on developing new methods for detecting and quantifying FQs and their degradation products at low concentrations and developing new molecular techniques for monitoring antibacterial resistance to FQs in exposed microorganisms.
Project Outcomes:
Final report: Fate and Effects of Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial Agents in Aquatic Ecosystems
Contact
Angela Page at page.angelad@epa.gov