Bayou effects of antibiotics (Water Contamination)

1. antibiotic resistance genes (ARG

1.1. underlying mechanism of proliferation.

2. Geography of the Bayou

2.1. stretches 106 miles from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico

2.2. receives input from a siphon in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

2.3. provides drinking water to 300,000 people

2.4. Deemed suitable for 1. primary contact recreation 2. Secondary contact

3. LDEQ

3.1. LDEQ also estimates 1.3 million Louisiana homeowners utilize an on-site septic system of which 50% may be failing

3.2. consistently failed to meet LDEQ primary contact recreation requirements due to bacterial loads,

4. Direct effects

4.1. Antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria are found in wastewater from hospitals and animal production, sewage treatment effluent, drinking water, and natural waters and sediments

4.2. ability to infect humans either directly, such as consumption of contaminated food, or indirectly, environmental resistance and nosocomial resistance are closely associated

5. antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB)

5.1. In 2013, antibiotic-resistant infections caused 2000,000 cases of illness and an estimated 23,000 deaths in the USA

5.2. The ability of bacteria to exchange and adopt genetic information is the reason leading to prevalence of ARB in healthcare facilities and environment

5.3. have potential to influence environmental bacteria and propagate the spread of ARG primarily through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) while persisting through self-replication or vertical gene transfer (VGT).

5.4. artificial level of active antibiotics present contributes to the persistence of ARB

5.5. ARB and ARG have been found in Thibodaux sewage treatment plant and in pre-treated drinking water

6. Antibiotics Distributed

6.1. 2014, 266.1 million courses of antibiotics were prescribed in USA,.

6.2. the amount of prescribed antibiotics may be unnecessary and as much as 30% of cases

6.3. agricultural industry accounted for 80% of antibiotic use in 2013 w/ 13 million kilograms of antibiotics used for livestock in the USA

6.4. The use of antibiotics is also common in aquaculture, pest control, pharmaceutical, and hospital effluent