Antibiotic residues from aquaculture farms and their ecological risks in Southeast Asia: a case study from Malaysia

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: One major source of antibiotic contamination in the sea is from aquaculture. We monitored concentration commonly used classes resistance genes ( tet (M), sul1, sul2 sul3 ) aquaculture farms Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: Antibiotic residues were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography real-time PCR respectively. Risk quotients European technical guidance document on risk assessment was to assess potential environmental risk. Results: detected 23 antibiotics with tetracyclines, sulfonamides quinolones most frequently classes, indicating a wide distribution Malaysian farms. The dendrogram heatmap revealed three groups patterns but no differences types usage among ARGs (10 ?3 copies/16S) >90% sites except for . Ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin lincomycin posed risks cyanobacteria algae Kelantan, Perak Pahang. Conclusion: Relative Asian farms, here at low or moderate levels quinolones. This study will be useful develop effective management wastewater order mitigate pollution transmission humans through food chain.