Fluorescence analysis of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistance genes in the environment: A mini review

Antibiotics, as widely used antibacterial drug, exist in various environmental media. Antibiotic residues can affect biological metabolism and lead to bacterial resistance and the formation of antibiotic-resistance genes, posing a threat to human health and ecological safety. Establishing efficient detection methods for antibiotics and antibiotic-resistance genes has great environmental significance. Fluorescence detection methods, due to their fast response, high sensitivity and specificity, and low-cost, are widely used in chemical and biological sensing. This review first summarizes the pre-treatment methods for different types of environmental samples, and then focuses on the recent advances of fluorescence methods for the detection of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistance genes. Finally, main challenges and future research directions of fluorescence methods for antibiotic and antibiotic-resistance genes detection are discussed. This review highlights the promising prospect of fluorescence methods in in-situ detection and monitoring of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistance genes, and provides guidance for the construction of overall risk assessment system of environmental media.