ABSTRACT
Antibiotic overuse and their unprocessed disposal are putting the environment and its inhabitants in danger of a catastrophic health emergency. Numerous diverse bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are prevalent in the environment, which calls for rapid action in order to effectively remove antibiotics. There are chemical and physical removal techniques, but the production of harmful byproducts has focused the attention of researchers on bioremediation as a sustainable and environmentally benign way to remove antibiotics from the environment. Despite the application of numerous efficient and successful bioremediation techniques, antibiotic residues continue to constitute a serious danger on a global scale. Recent advances in molecular biology may provide improved methods for creating microbe-metabolite biodevices and creating novel strains with desirable traits. This chapter provides an overview of the effects of antibiotics on the environment, the mechanisms through which resistance develops, and several bioremediation techniques.
