Predicted Environmental Risk Assessment of Antimicrobials with Increased Consumption in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic; The Groundwork for the Forthcoming Water Quality Survey.

The environmental release of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals is an imminent threat due to ecological impacts and microbial resistance phenomena. The recent COVID-19 outbreak will likely lead to greater loads of antimicrobials in the environment. Thus, identifying the most used antimicrobials likely to pose environmental risks would be valuable.

Parasiticides: Weapons for Controlling Microbial Vector-Borne Diseases in Veterinary Medicine; The Potential of Ethnobotanic/Phytoparasiticides: An Asset to One Health.

Some ectoparasites are vectors of illness-causing bacteria and viruses, and these are treated with antibiotic and antiviral drugs, which eventually contribute to the excessive use of antimicrobials. Therefore, the control of ectoparasites is crucial, and the challenge will be to manage them in a sustainable way. Data from a preliminary ethnobotanical survey was reanalyzed to obtain information on the use of various plant species in companion animals and livestock as ectoparasiticides.

Identification of Antibiotics in Surface-Groundwater. A Tool towards the Ecopharmacovigilance Approach: A Portuguese Case-Study.

Environmental monitoring, particularly of water, is crucial to screen and preselect potential hazardous substances for policy guidance and risk minimisation strategies. In Portugal, extensive data are missing. This work aimed to perform a qualitative survey of antibiotics in surface- groundwater, reflecting demographic, spatial, consumption and drug profiles during an observational period of three years.

Human pharmaceuticals in Portuguese rivers: The impact of water scarcity in the environmental risk.

Pharmaceuticals occurrence and environmental risk assessment were assessed in Portuguese surface waters, evaluating the impact of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and river flow rates. Twenty three pharmaceuticals from 6 therapeutic groups, including metabolites and 1 transformation product, were analysed in 72 samples collected from 20 different sites, upstream and downstream the selected WWTPs, in two different seasons. Analysis was performed by solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectroscopy.

A critical evaluation of different parameters for estimating pharmaceutical exposure seeking an improved environmental risk assessment.

A critical evaluation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Guideline on Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) was performed on 16 of Portugal's most consumed pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluents (WWEs), the main route for aquatic contamination. The predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were formulated based on the Guideline, after incorporating several refinements. The best approach was selected by comparing the measured environmental concentrations (MECs) to the PECs in WWEs.

SSRIs antidepressants in marine mussels from Atlantic coastal areas and human risk assessment.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are among the most prescribed antidepressants nation and worldwide. Their presence in the aquatic environment is known, causing growing pressures in heavily populated coastal areas. For instance, disruption of invertebrate endocrine systems has been described.

Uptake, accumulation and metabolization of the antidepressant fluoxetine by Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, is among the most prescribed pharmaceutical active substances worldwide. This study aimed to assess its accumulation and metabolization in the mussel Mytillus galloprovincialis, considered an excellent sentinel species for traditional and emerging pollutants. Mussels were collected from Ria Formosa Lagoon, Portugal, and exposed to a nominal concentration of fluoxetine (75 ng L(-1)) for 15 days.

Assessing environmental risk of pharmaceuticals in Portugal: An approach for the selection of the Portuguese monitoring stations in line with Directive 2013/39/EU.

In line with the Directive 2013/39/EU the most representative surface waters, regarding pharmaceuticals contamination, were selected based on a Portuguese nationwide monitoring exercise. To meet this purpose, and given that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are regarded as the major point sources of pharmaceuticals environmental contamination, the occurrence, fate and environmental risk assessment (ERA) of eleven of the most consumed pharmaceuticals, belonging to several therapeutic classes were assessed in 15 WWTPs (influents (WWIs) and effluents (WWEs)), from five different regions during one year (4 sampling campaigns). Results showed that all samples were contaminated with at least 1, and up to 8 from the 11 targeted pharmaceuticals.

Fluoroquinolones and Tetracycline Antibiotics in a Portuguese Aquaculture System and Aquatic Surroundings: Occurrence and Environmental Impact.

The growth of aquaculture over the past few years is widely recognized as one of the main sources of antibiotics, mainly fluoroquinolones (FQ) and tetracyclines (TC), in the aquatic environment, consequently, increasing the risk of the emergence of antibiotic bacterial resistance and promoting the spread of resistant genes. This study aimed to (1) develop and validate a multiresidue method for determination and quantification of ciprofloxacin (CIP), difloxacin (DIFL), enrofloxacin (ENR), norfloxacin (NOR), sarafloxacin (SARA), and oxytetracycline (OXY) in aquaculture waters and surrounding water bodies and (2) provide the first Portuguese data to utilize in assessment of risk of adverse effects. In addition, the potential environmental impact posed by these antibiotics to aquatic organisms, belonging to different trophic levels, when exposed to the studied aquaculture waters was also assessed.

Reviewing the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) footprint in the aquatic biota: uptake, bioaccumulation and ecotoxicology.

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressants are amongst the most prescribed pharmaceutical active substances throughout the world. Their presence, already described in different environmental compartments such as wastewaters, surface, ground and drinking waters, and sediments, and their remarkable effects on non-target organisms justify the growing concern about these emerging environmental pollutants. A comprehensive review of the literature data with focus on their footprint in the aquatic biota, namely their uptake, bioaccumulation and both acute and chronic ecotoxicology is presented.

Environmental impact of pharmaceuticals from Portuguese wastewaters: geographical and seasonal occurrence, removal and risk assessment.

The occurrence, fate, geographical and seasonal influence and environmental risk assessment of eleven of the most consumed pharmaceuticals in Portugal were studied in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) influents and (WWI) and effluents (WWE). WWI and WWE samples, from two sampling campaigns (spring and summer), in 2013, were evaluated in 15 different WWTPs across the country, by solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass detection (LC-MS-MS). Lipid regulators were the most frequently found in WWI and WWE (184.

Profiling serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the environment: trends in analytical methodologies.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are among the most prescribed pharmaceuticals worldwide and are ubiquitous in different areas of the environment. There are few reliable and specific analytical methods for the detection and quantification of SSRIs in environmental samples. The majority of the reported methods generally involve cleanup procedures that usually employ solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS-MS).

A one-year follow-up analysis of antidepressants in Portuguese wastewaters: occurrence and fate, seasonal influence, and risk assessment.

The occurrence, fate, seasonal influence and environmental risk assessment of four selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressants, citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline, were studied in 15 different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Portugal. Influent and effluent samples from four sampling campaigns, in 2013, were extracted through Oasis HLB cartridges, and quantified through liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MSn).Results showed that citalopram was the SSRI most frequently found, both in influents and in effluents, with mean mass loads ranging between 14.

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the aquatic environment: an ecopharmacovigilance approach.

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) antidepressants are among the most prescribed pharmaceutical active substances throughout the world. The occurrence of these widely used compounds in different environmental compartments (wastewaters, surface, ground and drinking waters, and sediments), justify the growing concern about these emerging environmental pollutants. Viewing an ecopharmacovigilance approach, a comprehensive discussion of the state of the art regarding different contamination sources, fate, degradation and occurrence is presented.