An Overview of the Presence of Cephalosporin Antibiotics in Aquatic Environments

Background: Cephalosporins, widely used β-lactam antibiotics, are becoming significant environmental pollutants primarily due to their high use and persistence. They are released into the environment mainly through wastewater treatment plants, agricultural runoff, and hospital discharge, with particularly high concentrations recorded in effluents. Conventional wastewater treatment methods have inadequate removal efficiency, while advanced treatments, although more efficient, may produce toxic by-products. Recent studies emphasize the importance of improved detection and monitoring techniques and advocate for stricter effluent regulations. Methods: The search strategy used the SCOPUS and PUBMED databases with the keywords “cephalosporin” AND “aquatic environment”, resulting in 341 records. The final review synthesized the findings from 110 papers, highlighting the presence of cephalosporins in various aquatic habitats and laboratory settings. Results: The literature on cephalosporins in aquatic environments has expanded significantly from 1978 to 2025, prompted by concerns about pharmaceutical contamination and antibiotic resistance. Studies from 2016 to 2025 used advanced and multidisciplinary monitoring techniques, revealed key pollution sources such as wastewater treatment plants and hospitals, and correlated antibiotic residues with resistance genes, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and mitigation efforts. Conclusion: The literature has noted an increasing focus on cephalosporins in aquatic environments, with results indicating links between antibiotic residues and resistance genes. Ecotoxicological assessments show negative effects on aquatic organisms, highlighting that degradation processes may lead to the formation of more toxic compounds. This analysis calls for an integrated monitoring approach and further research to address the ecological and health impacts of cephalosporin pollution.