Microbial Bioremediation of Pharmaceutical Residues in Wastewater: Current Advances and Future Prospects – Review Article

Pharmaceutical residues are increasingly detected in wastewater and receiving waters because pharmaceutical use, excretion, manufacturing, disposal and agricultural activities continually introduce biologically active compounds into aquatic systems. Conventional wastewater treatment can reduce some residues, but removal is compound- and process-dependent and does not always demonstrate complete degradation. This review examines microbial bioremediation of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater, with emphasis on bacterial and fungal systems, microbial consortia, removal mechanisms, operating factors, current applications, challenges and the African context. The evidence assembled in the supplied literature shows that individual bacteria and fungi can transform or degrade selected pharmaceuticals, while mixed microbial communities can provide complementary metabolic activities for complex contaminant mixtures. Reported studies include substantial degradation of ibuprofen by Achromobacter strains, ciprofloxacin transformation by specialized bacteria, removal of pharmaceuticals by white-rot fungi, and improved performance from bacterial–fungal or microalgae–bacteria consortia. The review also distinguishes removal from degradation because adsorption or transformation can lower aqueous concentrations without complete destruction of the parent compound. pH, temperature, pharmaceutical concentration, microbial community characteristics, nutrients, oxygen availability and contact time can influence performance. Evidence from real hospital, municipal and pharmaceutical-industry wastewaters indicates that translation from controlled experiments to practical treatment remains a major challenge. African evidence demonstrates occurrence and ecological concerns in several settings and includes microbial-remediation studies in Nigeria and South Africa, but also reveals important gaps in monitoring, treatment evaluation and scale-up. Future progress will depend on tailored microbial consortia, immobilized enzymes, molecular and multi-omics approaches, and integration of microbial processes with existing wastewater treatment systems.