Antibiotic rivers: impacts of antibiotic exposure on the gut microbiome of fish and consequence for health, behaviour, and cognition

Environmental pollution with antibiotics is an extensive and rapidly escalating global issue. Despite widespread antibiotic pollution, the direct and local impact on aquatic animals remains largely unknown. One likely impact of antibiotic exposure is dysbiosis, that is, the disruption of the gut microbiome of wildlife.

It is now well recognised that the gut microbiome is critical for the health and behaviour of most animals, and that the disruption of the microbiome can lead to disease and poor health outcomes.

Despite this, the impacts of environmentally relevant antibiotic exposure on the gut microbiome of aquatic wildlife, and potential consequences for host health and behaviour have not been investigated.

We will address this knowledge gap by connecting the effects of antibiotic exposure on the gut microbiome, to host metabolism, neurotransmission, behaviour, and cognition. Widespread dysbiosis in aquatic species could represent a serious yet largely unrecognised threat to life below water. It is thus essential that we identify the environmental risk these antibiotic pollutants pose.