Veterinary Antibiotics: Biological Activity, Degradation, and the Problem of Standardization in Organic Fertilizers and Natural Environments (a review)

Abstract The relevance of studies into the degree of disturbance of the ecological balance caused by veterinary antibiotics (VA) is justified by concerns about progressing antibiotic resistance and environmental risks. Disturbances of the ecological balance caused by metabolites and rests (up to 21 mg/kg) of the VA used for the prevention and stimulation of animal growth are comparable to the effect of pesticides in soil ecosystems. Local contamination of soils with tetracyclines and macrolides reaches hundreds of milligrams per kilogram. VA are recorded in organic waste all over the world (up to 300–700 mg/kg). The degree of transformation, degradation, sorption and desorption, absorption by plants, and input in groundwater depends on the VA chemical structure and soil conditions (acidity, organic matter, etc.). No methodological framework has so far been advanced for prompt determination of the VA content in soils and livestock by-products. Few countries have introduced a ban for using VA as a growth stimulant. To minimize the negative impact of veterinary antibiotics on soils and agricultural plants, it is essential to continue environmental studies and establish legislative norms and controls over the VA content in the organic fertilizers based on livestock by-products (LBP).