Safety of KMPS to the Aquatic Ecosystem Through Microbial Diversity and Acute Toxicity Assessment

The increasing occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led to a shift in focus, with disinfectants becoming the primary alternative to antibiotics for prevention. Potassium persulfate compound (KMPS) has attracted extensive attention from consumers and is frequently used around the world, especially in aquaculture. However, the safety of KMPS is rarely reported. Here, this study evaluated the safety of KMPS in aquaculture, including its effects on water quality, bacterial eradication, microbial community diversity, and acute toxicity against Nile tilapia. The results show that KMPS (3.125, 6.25, and 12.5 μg/mL) had no role in water quality parameters, while it had a significant killing effect on BHI-cultured bacteria in pond water; microbial structure analysis demonstrated that KMPS (6.25 μg/mL) had no role in microbial community diversity, but several significantly different microbial communities and functions also existed and may even involve the eutrophication of pond water and enrich the abundance of drug-resistant microbial communities. Moreover, the 24-, 48-, and 72-h LC50 values of KMPS against Nile tilapia were illustrated, and high concentrations of KMPS could damage fish tissues. Therefore, this study will provide some useful reference values for researchers and fish farmers.