Persistence of Antibiotics in the Natural Environment: Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

Background: Antibiotics and their metabolites released into aquatic and soil environments have the potential to affect their microbial communities and can be a selection pressure to drive antimicrobial resistance emergence and spread. However, data about the persistence of antibiotics and metabolites into the natural environment are still lacking.

Objectives: The goal of this manuscript is to describe the protocol that will be used to conduct a formal scoping review of the current literature to address the following question: “What is known from the existing literature about degradation of a selected group of antibiotic compounds in water, sediment, and soil?”.

Eligibility criteria: Eligible studies will be primary research, in English, from any geographic location, published between 2000-2020, include water, sediment, and/or soil samples, were conducted in natural systems and/or laboratory studies with relevant data applied to natural systems, include data related to transformation by sunlight, biodegradation, and/or sorption processes, and include data for any of the following compounds: i) sulfonamides: sulfachlorpyridazine, sulfadiazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine; ii) macrolides: erythromycin, roxithromycin, tylosin, azithromycin; iii) tetracyclines: chlortetracycline, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline; iv) fluoroquinlones: ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin; v) beta-lactams: penicillins; vi) others: carbadox, trimethoprim, lincomycin.