Retrospective suspect screening reveals previously ignored antibiotics, antifungal compounds, and metabolites in Bangladesh surface waters

Densely populated countries in Asia, such as Bangladesh, are considered to be major contributors to the increased occurrence of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Several factors make low-and middle-income countries vulnerable to increased emergence and spread of AMR in the environment including limited regulations on antimicrobial drug use, high volume of antimicrobials used in human medicine and agricultural production, and poor wastewater management. Previous monitoring campaigns to investigate the presence of antibiotics in the aquatic environment have employed targeted analysis in which selected antibiotics are measured using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). However, this approach can miss several important contaminants that can contribute to the selective pressure that promotes maintenance and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the…