ABSTRACT
About 210,000 tons of antibiotics are produced annually in China, nearly half of which is used in animal agriculture for sickness prevention and production improvement [1,2]. The improper or illegal use of various antibiotics may result in the accumulation of residues in animal tissues including muscle, liver, kidney, skin and hair [3-5]. Leather production may facilitate the transfer of the antibiotic residues and resistant bacteria from animal tissues to the tannery wastewater. In addition, presence of various heavy metals [6] and biocides [7] in tannery wastewater contributes to coselection of antibiotics and heavy metals in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) [8].
