| Title | Pharmaceutical in the aquatic environment:ecosystem services provided by natural microbial communities and research needs in the Italian scenario |
| Abstract | The presence of pharmaceuticals as widespread ecosystem contaminants has led to increased attention towards them among researchers, lawmakers, regulators and the public in recent years. They are continuously reaching the environment through WWTP effluents and, for this reason, are being constantly detected in the aquatic environment albeit in low concentrations. Pharmaceuticals are specifically designed to be biologically active, but there is limited understanding of their ecological effects on non-target organisms in the environment, including microorganisms. There has been growing agreement about the importance of natural ecosystems and of the set of services that their various functions provide to the human population and ecosystem functions, goods and services are being increasingly appreciated. The biological processes that provide these services operate on various scales, from sub-cellular to population, but their value is determined by their effect on the ecosystem. Microorganisms have a key role in element cycling and in ecosystem energy flows and, thanks to their adaptability and metabolic potentiality, they are able to degrade many xenobiotic molecules. Consequently they are essential in the overall processes that contribute to the quality state of natural ecosystems. For these reasons it is essential to evaluate both the potential detrimental effects of pharmaceuticals on the structure and functioning of microbial communties and any homeostatic capabilities the latter show towards these contaminants, by degrading them.
In order to assess the ecosystem service consisting of the natural attenuation of pharmaceuticals in rivers, the capability of the autochthonous microbial community to biodegrade two drugs, Naproxen (anti-inflammatory) and Gemfibrozil (lipid regulator), was evaluated. Microcosm experiments were conducted using undisturbed river water samples (from the River Tiber, Rome, Italy) treated with single or mixed pharmaceuticals. The degradation of the two pharmaceuticals and the bacterial community structure and functioning were investigated. At different times, bacterial abundance (DAPI counts), cell viability (live/dead method) and phylogenetic composition (by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, FISH) were assessed and compared to those of microbiological controls (non-treated water samples). Naproxen and Gemfibrozil showed, in separate experiments, a DT50 of about 20 and 70 days, respectively. When mixed, the co-presence of Gemfibrozil initially affected Naproxen degradation by lengthening the degradation lag phase. The analysis of the bacterial community structure made it possible to highlight the increase of some bacterial groups, such as Gamma- and Alpha-Proteobacteria around the time of the DT50s, suggesting their active role in the degradation pathways. However, the microbial homeostatic response was more efficient in the case of Naproxen than of Gemfibrozil. In fact, 100 days after the treatment, Gemfibrozil was still present at about 65% of its initial concentration, while Naproxen had completely disappeared. Consequently, microbial communities were able to provide the ecosystem service of water quality regulation in different ways for the two pharmaceuticals studied. The biodegradation of the parent compounds does not exclude the occurrence of negative effects on other ecosystem functioning. Finally, the research needs for improving knowledge on the occurrence and effects of pharmaceuticals in Italian aquatic ecosystems will be mentioned. |
| Source | Workshop on Emerging Contaminants in the aquatic environment with special focus on endocrine disruptors, nano-particles and micro-plastics. WssTP Task Force Water Framework Directive, Utrecht, the Netherlands, 14-15 March 2013 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Type | Presentazione |
| Authors | Grenni P., Barra Caracciolo A., Patrolecco L. |
| Text | 213030 2013 Pharmaceutical in the aquatic environment ecosystem services provided by natural microbial communities and research needs in the Italian scenario Grenni P., Barra Caracciolo A., Patrolecco L. Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, Area della Ricerca di RM1, Via Salaria km 29,300, 00015 Monterotondo Scalo, Roma The presence of pharmaceuticals as widespread ecosystem contaminants has led to increased attention towards them among researchers, lawmakers, regulators and the public in recent years. They are continuously reaching the environment through WWTP effluents and, for this reason, are being constantly detected in the aquatic environment albeit in low concentrations. Pharmaceuticals are specifically designed to be biologically active, but there is limited understanding of their ecological effects on non target organisms in the environment, including microorganisms. There has been growing agreement about the importance of natural ecosystems and of the set of services that their various functions provide to the human population and ecosystem functions, goods and services are being increasingly appreciated. The biological processes that provide these services operate on various scales, from sub cellular to population, but their value is determined by their effect on the ecosystem. Microorganisms have a key role in element cycling and in ecosystem energy flows and, thanks to their adaptability and metabolic potentiality, they are able to degrade many xenobiotic molecules. Consequently they are essential in the overall processes that contribute to the quality state of natural ecosystems. For these reasons it is essential to evaluate both the potential detrimental effects of pharmaceuticals on the structure and functioning of microbial communties and any homeostatic capabilities the latter show towards these contaminants, by degrading them. In order to assess the ecosystem service consisting of the natural attenuation of pharmaceuticals in rivers, the capability of the autochthonous microbial community to biodegrade two drugs, Naproxen anti inflammatory and Gemfibrozil lipid regulator , was evaluated. Microcosm experiments were conducted using undisturbed river water samples from the River Tiber, Rome, Italy treated with single or mixed pharmaceuticals. The degradation of the two pharmaceuticals and the bacterial community structure and functioning were investigated. At different times, bacterial abundance DAPI counts , cell viability live/dead method and phylogenetic composition by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, FISH were assessed and compared to those of microbiological controls non treated water samples . Naproxen and Gemfibrozil showed, in separate experiments, a DT50 of about 20 and 70 days, respectively. When mixed, the co presence of Gemfibrozil initially affected Naproxen degradation by lengthening the degradation lag phase. The analysis of the bacterial community structure made it possible to highlight the increase of some bacterial groups, such as Gamma and Alpha Proteobacteria around the time of the DT50s, suggesting their active role in the degradation pathways. However, the microbial homeostatic response was more efficient in the case of Naproxen than of Gemfibrozil. In fact, 100 days after the treatment, Gemfibrozil was still present at about 65% of its initial concentration, while Naproxen had completely disappeared. Consequently, microbial communities were able to provide the ecosystem service of water quality regulation in different ways for the two pharmaceuticals studied. The biodegradation of the parent compounds does not exclude the occurrence of negative effects on other ecosystem functioning. Finally, the research needs for improving knowledge on the occurrence and effects of pharmaceuticals in Italian aquatic ecosystems will be mentioned. Workshop on Emerging Contaminants in the aquatic environment with special focus on endocrine disruptors, nano particles and micro plastics. WssTP Task Force Water Framework Directive Utrecht, the Netherlands 14 15 March 2013 Internazionale Su invito Comunicazione Workshop internazionale Grenni_WssTP_March2013.pdf Presentazione luisa.patrolecco PATROLECCO LUISA anna.barracaracciolo BARRA CARACCIOLO ANNA paola.grenni GRENNI PAOLA |
