Detection of the Antiviral Drug Oseltamivir in Aquatic Environments |
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| Authors: | Hanna S?derstr?m Josef D. J?rhult Bj?rn Olsen Richard H. Lindberg Hiroaki Tanaka Jerker Fick |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.; 2. Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.; 3. Section for Zoonotic Ecology and Epidemiology, Kalmar University, Kalmar, Sweden.; 4. Research Center of Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, Otsu, Japan.;Naval Research Laboratory, United States of America |
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| Abstract: | Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) is the most important antiviral drug available and a cornerstone in the defence against a future influenza pandemic. Recent publications have shown that the active metabolite, oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), is not degraded in sewage treatment plants and is also persistent in aquatic environments. This implies that OC will be present in aquatic environments in areas where oseltamivir is prescribed to patients for therapeutic use. The country where oseltamivir is used most is Japan, where it is used to treat seasonal flu. We measured the levels of OC in water samples from the Yodo River system in the Kyoto and Osaka prefectures, Japan, taken before and during the flu-season 2007/8. No OC was detected before the flu-season but 2–58 ng L−1 was detected in the samples taken during the flu season. This study shows, for the first time, that low levels of oseltamivir can be found in the aquatic environment. Therefore the natural reservoir of influenza virus, dabbling ducks, is exposed to oseltamivir, which could promote the evolution of viral resistance. |
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