Fate of the veterinary medicine ivermectin in soil

We investigated the fate of the drug ivermectin in the soil. We found that ivermectin was transformed solely by photos, leading to the formation of two ivermectin isomers. We indeed failed to detect any biotransformation reaction of the chemical either in the soil or in fungal liquid cultures. According to its limited water solubility, the bioavailability of ivermectin was very low in the soil solution. Here, we show that ivermectin, transferred to the soil from faeces of drug-treated cattle, could be stored for long periods in the soil.