Detection of Antibacterial Residues in Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.) in the Shatt Al-Arab river, Southern Iraq

The presence of Antibacterial in the aquatic environment is a major concern because of the effect of Antibacterial on water quality, aquatic organisms and human health. The current study aims to detect Antibacterial (Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin, and Levofloxacin) seasonally in water, sediments, muscles and liver of Nile tilapia fish during the period from November 2020 to August 2021 in two selected stations in Shatt Al-Arab, Basrah, Iraq. The samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), High concentrations of the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (CIP) were recorded in each of the water, sediment and fish muscle samples during the spring season at the second station, reaching the 24.9 mg l1-, 24.5 mg. kg1-, 7.4 mg. kg1-, respectively, while the high concentration of Amoxicillin )AMO( Antibacterial was 4.1 mg.kg-1 in liver of fish in spring season in the second station. The presence of Antibacterial in the aquatic environment in such high concentrations is a source of great concern. The study recommends conducting more studies to measure Antibacterial contamination in other areas of the Shatt al-Arab and the Iraqi marshes.