JAC Advance Access originally published online on June 12, 2003
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2003) 52, 5-7
© 2003 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Leading Article |
Significance of antibiotics in the environment
Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Epidemiology, Freiburg University Hospital, Hugstetter Straße 55, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
Keywords: antibiotics, environment
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
 |
Background |
|---|
Pharmaceuticals are designed to stimulate a physiological response in humans, animals, bacteria or other organisms. During the past decade, concern has grown about the adverse effects the use and disposal of pharmaceuticals might potentially have on human and ecological health. Research has shown that after passing through wastewater treatment, pharmaceuticals, amongst other compounds, are released directly into the environment.1
The selection and development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the greatest concerns with regard to the use of antimicrobials.2–5 In a report by the House of Lords, it is stated that: ‘resistance to antibiotics and other anti-infective agents constitutes a major threat to public health and ought to be recognized as such more widely than it is at present’.4 Therefore, the European Union (EU) recommends the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine.2 With respect to the causes of resistance, the focus is on the use of antimicrobials in
|
Use of antibiotics and input into the environment |
|---|
|
Fate in the environment |
|---|
|
Effects |
|---|
|
Risk: assessment and management |
|---|
|
Conclusions |
|---|
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  R. Szczepanowski, B. Linke, I. Krahn, K.-H. Gartemann, T. Gutzkow, W. Eichler, A. Puhler, and A. Schluter Detection of 140 clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in the plasmid metagenome of wastewater treatment plant bacteria showing reduced susceptibility to selected antibiotics Microbiology, July 1, 2009; 155(7): 2306 - 2319. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. E. Haggard and L. D. Bartsch Net Changes in Antibiotic Concentrations Downstream from an Effluent Discharge J. Environ. Qual., January 13, 2009; 38(1): 343 - 352. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. E. Allaire, J. Del Castillo, and V. Juneau Sorption Kinetics of Chlortetracyline and Tylosin on Sandy Loam and Heavy Clay Soils J. Environ. Qual., May 31, 2006; 35(4): 969 - 972. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Y. Chander, K. Kumar, S. M. Goyal, and S. C. Gupta Antibacterial Activity of Soil-Bound Antibiotics J. Environ. Qual., October 12, 2005; 34(6): 1952 - 1957. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. D. Hay, M. Thomas, A. Montgomery, M. Wetherell, A. Lovering, C. McNulty, D. Lewis, B. Carron, E. Henderson, and A. MacGowan The relationship between primary care antibiotic prescribing and bacterial resistance in adults in the community: a controlled observational study using individual patient data J. Antimicrob. Chemother., July 1, 2005; 56(1): 146 - 153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Kummerer Resistance in the environment J. Antimicrob. Chemother., August 1, 2004; 54(2): 311 - 320. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|