Antibiotics and estrogens from anthropogenic sources enter the Great Lakes and their tributaries through discharge of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and agricultural drainage.^1,2 Elevated levels of these compounds in aquatic systems can alter the microbial community and affect fish and other organisms through their effect as endocrine disruptors.^3,4 Prolonged exposure of the microbial community to low doses of antibiotics in the environment leads to the selection of resistant bacteria, which could transfer resistance genes to other bacterial species.^5,6 The presence of estrogens in lakes has been linked to feminization of male fish, reproductive failure, and collapse of the fish population.^7,8 This project aims to determine the occurrence, distribution and seasonal pattern of selected antibiotics and estrogens in water and sediments of Lake Erie's eastern basin, WWTP, and lake tributaries.

Specifically, an undergraduate student involved in this research will be paired with a graduate student to participate in the sample collection, extraction, and analysis of water and sediment to determine the concentrations of target analytes using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. In addition, the undergraduate will learn the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the levels of plasma vitellogenin in male fish, which is a biomarker of estrogenic exposure. This project is interdisciplinary in nature and involves collaborators with the Biology Department of SUNY-Fredonia, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, The Great Lakes Center, and WWTP facilities (Dunkirk, Fredonia, Silver Creek, NY). The undergraduate participant in this project will not only learn proper sampling techniques and modern analytical methods, but will also become familiar with current environmental issues resulting from increased urbanization and modern agricultural practices.

References:

1. Metcalfe, C. D., X.-s. Miao, B. G. Koenig and J. Struger (2003). "Distribution of Acidic and Neutral Drugs in Surface Waters Near Sewage Treatment Plants in the Lower Great Lakes, Canada." Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22(12): 2881-2889.
2. Perez, S., P. Eichhorn and D. S. Aga (2004). "Evaluating the Biodegradability of Sulfamethazine, Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfathiazole and Trimethoprim at Different Stages of Sewage Treatment." Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry In Press.
3. Kavanagh, R. J., G. C. Balch, Y. Kiparissis, A. J. Niimi, J. Sherry, C. Tinson and C. D. Metcalfe (2004). "Endocrine Disruption and Altered Gonadal Development in White Perch (Morone Americana) from the Lower Great Lakes Region." Environmental Health Perspectives 112(8): 898-902.
4. Lorenzen, A., K. L. Williams and T. W. Moon (2003). "Detemination of the Estrogenic and Antiestrogenic Effects of Environmental Contaminants in Chicken Embryo Hepatocyte Cultures by Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction." Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22(10): 2329-2336.
5. Junco, M. T. T., M. G. Martin, M. L. P. Toledo, P. L. Gomez and J. L. M. Barrasa (2001). "Identification and Antibiotic Resistance of Fecal Enterococci Isolated from Water Samples." International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 203(4): 363-368.
6. Teuber, M. (2001). "Veteromary Use and Antibiotic Resistance." Current Opinion in Microbiology 4(5): 493-499.
7. Kim, D. S., H. J. Cho, I. C. Bang, G. C. Choi and Y. K. Nam (2001). "Effects of Immersion of Larvae in 17b-Estradiol on Feminization, Structural Changes of Gonad and Growth Performance in the Far Eastern Catfish Silurus Asotus (Linnaeus)." Aquaculture Research 32(5): 323-328.
8. Baldwin, W. S., D. L. Milam and G. A. LeBlanc (1995). "Physiiological and Biochemical Perturbations in Daphnia Magna Following Exposure to the Model Environmental Estrogen Diethylstilbestrol." Enviromental Toxicology and Chemistry 14(6): 945-952