Correlation between Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin antibiotics and basic quality parameters in the water of Saigon river

Abstract

Several recent studies have revealed the presence of antibiotics in the Saigon river water; however, little information is known about its abundance and correlation with water quality. Two typical antibiotics, Ciprofloxacin and Ofloxacin, were selected for this study to examine how they correlate with water quality parameters. The results have reflected that regarding the antibiotic concentration fluctuations, antibiotic concentration was gradually increased from the watershed (average concentration of Ciprofloxacin was about 81 ng/l and Ofloxacin was about 59 ng/l) to the middle of the river (Ciprofloxacin: 269 ng/l and Ofloxacin: 207 ng/l) and downstream (Ciprofloxacin: 341 ng/l and Ofloxacin: 276 ng/l). In the watershed, the concentration of antibiotics was much lower than the regional mean, with a difference of roughly 226.3% for Ciprofloxacin (average concentration was about 265 ng/l) and 253.0% for Ofloxacin (average concentration was about 209 ng/l). Antibiotics and water quality measures were correlated in the same order, but the correlation coefficient for two variables was lower than that for three random variables and more than three variables.
Therefore, when evaluating the relationship between antibiotics and water quality, it is essential to take into account the correlation with as many parameters as possible.