Chapter 3
Existence of Antibiotics in Wastewater
as a Pollution Indicator
Halah H. Al-Haideri, Fikrat M. Hassan, and Saja H. Abdul-Ameer
3.1 Introduction
Antibiotics are the most successful and fast innovations of human health sector
worldwide, which are used extensively to improve human health by killing or
inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are antimicrobial drugs that are also
used to treat animals and plant infections and for limiting the spread of potential
diseases of multidrug infections, as well as promoting growth in animal farming. In
recent decades, due to their wide-spectrum advantages, antibiotics have been widely
and effectively used in veterinary sector as well as in aquaculture, agriculture,
bee-keeping, and livestock as growth potentials (Smith et al. 2002; Singer et al.
2003; Pruden et al. 2013; Gothwal and Shashidhar 2014).
Literally, antibiotic is a term refers to “antibiosis,” which practically means “antilife,” and thus define as an organic compound released by one microorganism and
being toxic to other microorganisms or can inhibit the growth of or even kill other
microorganisms even at low concentrations (Russell 2004); however, recently, the
definition has been changed to include those substances as antibiotics that are
genuinely produced partially or completely by microorganisms via specific ways.
Based upon the type of microorganism, they can be antibacterial, antifungal, and
antiviral (Walsh 2003; Russell 2004; Brooks et al. 2004). Antibacterial drugs can act
as bactericidal when completely kill the bacteria or bacteriostatic when only inhibit
the bacteria. Bacteriostatic drugs can be changed into bactericidal by changing
certain conditions such as poor nutrition, temperature variations, toxic proteolytic
compounds, or antibodies (Choquet-Kastylevsky et al. 2002; Slatore and Tilles
2004).
H. H. Al-Haideri (*) · F. M. Hassan · S. H. Abdul-Ameer
The Department of Biology, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad,
Iraq
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Singh et al. (eds.), Water Pollution and Management Practices,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8358-2_3
41
Existence of Antibiotics in Wastewater
as a Pollution Indicator
Halah H. Al-Haideri, Fikrat M. Hassan, and Saja H. Abdul-Ameer
3.1 Introduction
Antibiotics are the most successful and fast innovations of human health sector
worldwide, which are used extensively to improve human health by killing or
inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are antimicrobial drugs that are also
used to treat animals and plant infections and for limiting the spread of potential
diseases of multidrug infections, as well as promoting growth in animal farming. In
recent decades, due to their wide-spectrum advantages, antibiotics have been widely
and effectively used in veterinary sector as well as in aquaculture, agriculture,
bee-keeping, and livestock as growth potentials (Smith et al. 2002; Singer et al.
2003; Pruden et al. 2013; Gothwal and Shashidhar 2014).
Literally, antibiotic is a term refers to “antibiosis,” which practically means “antilife,” and thus define as an organic compound released by one microorganism and
being toxic to other microorganisms or can inhibit the growth of or even kill other
microorganisms even at low concentrations (Russell 2004); however, recently, the
definition has been changed to include those substances as antibiotics that are
genuinely produced partially or completely by microorganisms via specific ways.
Based upon the type of microorganism, they can be antibacterial, antifungal, and
antiviral (Walsh 2003; Russell 2004; Brooks et al. 2004). Antibacterial drugs can act
as bactericidal when completely kill the bacteria or bacteriostatic when only inhibit
the bacteria. Bacteriostatic drugs can be changed into bactericidal by changing
certain conditions such as poor nutrition, temperature variations, toxic proteolytic
compounds, or antibodies (Choquet-Kastylevsky et al. 2002; Slatore and Tilles
2004).
H. H. Al-Haideri (*) · F. M. Hassan · S. H. Abdul-Ameer
The Department of Biology, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad,
Iraq
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Singh et al. (eds.), Water Pollution and Management Practices,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8358-2_3
41