PREETI GAHLOT, DIMPLE AND RAJESH DHANKHAR
Abstract
Antibiotics are an important part of health sector but also they have emerged as an effective pollutant of water environment. They are not only used in human medicines but also in other sectors like agriculture and aquaculture which eventually ends up in the environment. There increasing presence in water environment in last few decades has raised concern about the quality of water used for various purposes. The following review summarizes all recently published information about occurrence of antibiotics as well as antibiotic resistance genes in the water environment. An attempt has been made to put together all important aspects like importance, sources, effects, facts, methods of estimation and current status of various antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes. Almost all the rivers and other water sources of the world are found to be contaminated with pharmaceutical pollutants. Various policies and methods for decreasing the contamination has been explained with more steps required to be taken in order to carry out proper usage of antibiotics at various levels and proper transfer to aquatic environment.