Biotransformation of Beta-lactam Antibiotics pollutants into nontoxic form

Most common and frequently used class of antibiotics are beta-lactams. Although
antibiotics are most crucial organic compounds, but their low degradability and fast
accumulation in the environment is now causing trouble as micropollutants. World Health
Organisation has now declared antibiotics resistances as global health concern as well as
silent pandemic. Rapid increase in resistance has developed superbugs which survive even to
the last resort antibiotics. One of the ways to combat the antibiotics resistance is to degrade or
biotransform them into less toxic form in the environment. Therefore, to combat this
situation, microbial derived beta-lactamases are capable of degrading all beta-lactam
antibiotics. In this study, beta-lactamase producing bacteria were isolated from sludge of
pharmaceutical waste water treatment plant. The beta-lactamase producing bacteria were
screened using iodometric and double disc diffusion assay respectively. Further, selected
bacterial isolates were tested for degradation of three classes of beta-lactam antibiotics using
in vitro assays. Degradation was confirmed by TLC, UV-Vis spectroscopy and iodometric
assay. Degraded product completely loses its antimicrobial activity. The long-term goal of the
study is to characterise bio-transformed products by LCMS and GCMS and determine how
effectively beta-lactamase degrades antibiotics in a mixed antibiotic environment.