Antibiotics as Emerging Pollutants of Soil Ecosystems

Soil is a non-renewable resource and maintaining its quality (including absence of contaminants) and fertility is fundamental for ensuring the safety of food derived from soil-based agriculture for both animals and human (“One Heath concept”). In this context, native soil microbial communities have a key role in providing several ecosystem regulating and provisioning services. Antibiotics are emerging contaminants, which can reach soils through different ways. They cause concern due to their possible direct biocide effects at very low concentrations. Moreover, environmental antibiotic contamination can significantly contribute to the selection of antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARB) carrying antibiotic resistance genes. Owing to the tight relationships between bacteria and plants, both antibiotics and ARB can enter plants and reach animal and human microbiomes through their ingestion. In this chapter, the main ways antibiotics enter soils, together with the effects on soil microbial communities and plants, are reported. A special focus is dedicated to sulphonamides and fluoroquinolones, which are largely used for both human and animal health.