Analysis, fate and effects of the antibiotic sulfadiazine in soil ecosystems Kristina Schauss, Andreas Focks, Holger Heuer, Anja Kotzerke, Heike Schmitt, So ¨ ren Thiele-Bruhn, Kornelia Smalla, Berndt-Michael Wilke, Michael Matthies, Wulf Amelung, Jo ¨ rg Klasmeier, Michael Schloter This review summarizes current knowledge about the interplay between fate and effects of the antibiotic sulfadiazine in soil ecosystems. In applying manure from antibiotic-treated animals to arable soils, sulfadiazine can reach the environment, but fate and transformation processes and the consequences for soil microorganisms and soil functions have not been studied adequately. Since antibiotics are explicitly designed to affect microorganisms, they are likely to affect ‘‘non-target’’ microbes in the soil ecosystem. Recent papers provide new insights into the disappearance dynamics of sulfadiazine, its effects on distinct microbial communities and the development of antibiotic resistance. ª 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Chemical analysis; Disappearance dynamics; Ecosystem; Fate; Microbial community; Microorganism; Soil; Sulfadiazine; Transformation process 1. Introduction Since the first steps in antibiotic therapy by Paul Ehrlich at the beginning of the twentieth century, much effort has been made to develop new antibiotic com- pounds to treat infectious diseases and to protect human and animal health. In the European Union, more than 3900 Mg of therapeutic antibiotics were consumed in 1999 for veterinary purposes only [1], while estimated 16 000 Mg are consumed annually in the USA for therapeutic and non-therapeutic use [2]. In agriculture, manure is commonly used as organic fer- tilizer, so large amounts of bio-active forms of veterinary drugs (parental com- pounds or metabolites) may reach the environment via this pathway. Conse- quently, hundreds of grams of antibiotics per hectare may be spread annually on agricultural soils [3]. However, knowledge about the fate, the behavior and adverse effects of antibiotic compounds in the environment (e.g., on soil community structures, microbial functioning, and microbial resistance) is scarce [4–6]. Kristina Schauss*, Michael Schloter Helmholtz Zentrum Mu ¨ nchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute for Soil Ecology, Ingolsta ¨dter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany Andreas Focks, Michael Matthies, Jo ¨ rg Klasmeier University of Osnabru ¨ ck, Institute of Environmental Systems Research, Barbarastr. 12, 49069 Osnabru ¨ck, Germany Holger Heuer, Kornelia Smalla Julius Ku ¨ hn Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Messeweg 11-12, 38104 Braunschweig, Germany Anja Kotzerke, Berndt-Michael Wilke Berlin University of Technology, Institute of Ecology, Franklinstr. 29, 10587 Berlin, Germany Heike Schmitt Utrecht University, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), PO Box 80175, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands So ¨ ren Thiele-Bruhn University of Trier, Department of Soil Science, Behringstr. 21, 54286 Trier, Germany Wulf Amelung University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation – Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Nussallee 13, 53115 Bonn, Germany * Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 (0)89 3187 3054; Fax: +49 (0)89 3187 3376; E-mail: kristina.schauss@ helmholtz-muenchen.de Trends Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2009 612 0165-9936/$ - see front matter ª 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.trac.2009.02.009