This study examines the effects of erythromycin on activated sludge from two French urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Wastewater spiked with 10 mg/L erythromycin inhibited the specific evolution rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 79% (standard deviation 34%) and the specific N–NH4+ evolution rate by 41% (standard deviation 25%). A temporary increase in COD and tryptophan-like fluorescence, as well as a decrease in suspended solids, were observed in reactors with wastewater containing erythromycin. The destruction of activated sludge flocs was monitored by automated image analysis. The effect of erythromycin on nitrification was variable depending on the sludge origin. Erythromycin inhibited the specific nitrification rate in sludge from one WWTP, but increased the nitrification rate at the other facility. Erythromycin toxicity on activated sludge is expected to reduce pollution removal.

In this work the risk posed to seawater organisms, predators and humans is assessed, as a consequence of exposure to 12 organic micro-pollutants, namely metronidazole, trimethoprim, erythromycin, simazine, flumequine, carbaryl, atrazine, diuron, terbutryn, irgarol, diphenyl sulphone (DPS) and 2-thiocyanomethylthiobenzothiazole (TCMTB). The risk assessment study is based on a 1-year monitoring study at a Spanish marine fish farm, involving passive sampling techniques. The results showed that the risk threshold for irgarol concerning seawater organisms is exceeded. On the other hand, the risk to predators and especially humans through consumption of fish is very low, due to the low bioconcentration potential of the substances assessed.

The attenuation and fate of erythromycin-resistance-methylase (erm) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamse (bla) genes were quantified over time in aquatic systems by adding 20-L swine waste to 11,300-L outdoor mesocosms that simulated receiving water conditions below intensive agricultural operations. The units were prepared with two different light-exposure scenarios and included artificial substrates to assess gene movement into biofilms. Of eleven genes tested, only erm(B), erm(F), blaSHV and blaTEM were found in sufficient quantity for monitoring. The genes disappeared rapidly from the water column and first-order water-column disappearance coefficients were calculated. However, detected gene levels became elevated in the biofilms within 2 days, but then disappeared over time. Differences were observed between sunlight and dark treatments and among individual genes, suggesting that ecological and gene-specific factors play roles in the fate of these genes after release into the environment. Ultimately, this information will aid in generating better predictive models for gene fate.

We examined the impact of the effluent discharged from a freshwater (trout and related species) fish hatchery on the presence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in a small stream. There had been no documented use of antibiotics in the hatchery for at least 6 months prior to our study, although a variety of biocides were employed routinely for cleaning. Heterotrophic bacteria and Escherichia coli were isolated from both water column and sediment samples at sites above and below the discharge of the hatchery effluent as well as from the hatchery effluent itself. Randomly chosen isolates (≥96 isolates per site) were tested for their resistance to ampicillin, cephalexin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Resistance to at least one antibiotic was found in greater than 30% of both the heterotrophic isolates and the E. coli isolates from each of the sites. There were no significant differences among the sites in the proportion of the heterotrophic isolates resistant to any specific antibiotic. The proportion of E. coli isolates resistant to tetracycline in the hatchery effluent and in both the downstream water and sediment samples was significantly higher than in either the upstream water or sediment. These results support the possibility of the hatchery as a source of tetracycline-resistant microorganisms even in the absence of recent use of this antibiotic.