Occurrence and Removal of Three Antibiotics in Two Wastewater Treatment Plants in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs) are among the main sources of antibiotics release into various compartments of environment worldwide. These antibiotics have aggravated increasing anxiety, particularly as no legitimate requirements have been set for discharge into surface water bodies of these ubiquitous, persistent and biologically active substances. Massive quantities of antibiotics are used in human and veterinary medicine in all parts of the globe to treat diseases with bacterial, fungal and parasitic origins. These are also largely used in animal operations for growth promotion and for disease prophylaxis. These are often partially metabolized depending on type of antibiotics. After administration a significant fraction of the antibiotic can be excreted as a parent compound, metabolites or in conjugate forms that can be converted back to parent antibiotic. The residual antibiotics from human and animal use can enter the environment via various pathways, including wastewater, runoff from land in which manure or human waste has been applied and leaching. In this study occurrence and removal of three selected antibiotics, tetracyclines, sulfonamides and quinolones were studied in two large wastewater treatment plants in Morogoro Municipality using ELISA technique. Results indicated that the highest mean concentrations were 27.27532.83878g/l, quinolones 48.76157.9343.91g/l tetracyclines and 18.74925.4906g/l sulfonamides. The elimination of antibiotics through these wastewater treatment plants was incomplete. The removal efficiency was 28.50 % tetracyclines, 11.33 % quinolones and 82.32 % sulfonamides at mafisa wastewater treatment plant. At Mzumbe wastewater treatment plant removal efficiency was 2.5 % tetracyclines, 7.259 % quinolones and 2.28 % sulfonamides.