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Open Access
Copyright: The authors. This article is an open access
article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) which permits unrestricted use,
distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly
cited.
Review
8. Antibiotic
residues - A global health hazard -
A R Nisha
Vet World. 2008; 1(12): 375-377
doi: 10.5455/vetworld.2008.375-377
Abstract
Use of Antibiotic
that might result in deposition of residues in meat, milk and eggs
must not be permitted in food intended for human consumption. If
use of antibiotics is necessary as in prevention and treatment of
animal diseases, a withholding period must be observed until the
residues are negligible or no longer detected. The use of
antibiotics to bring about improved performance in growth and feed
efficiency, to synchronize or control of reproductive cycle and
breeding performance also often lead to harmful residual effects.
Concern over antibiotic residues in food of animal origin occurs
in two times; one which produces potential threat to direct
toxicity in human, second is whether the low levels of antibiotic
exposure would result in alteration of microflora, cause disease
and the possible development of resistant strains which cause
failure of antibiotic therapy in clinical situations. A withdrawal
period is established to safeguard human from exposure of
antibiotic added food. The withdrawal time is the time required
for the residue of toxicological concern to reach safe
concentration as defined by tolerance. It is the interval from the
time an animal is removed from medication until permitted time of
slaughter. Heavy responsibility is placed on the veterinarian and
livestock producer to observe the period for a withdrawal of a
drug prior to slaughter to assure that illegal concentration of
drug residue in meat, milk and egg do not occur. Use of food
additives may improve feed efficiency 17% in beef cattle, 10% in
lambs, 15% in poultry and 15% in swine. But their indiscriminate
use will produce toxicity in consumers. WHO and FAO establish
tolerances for a drug, pesticide or other chemical in the relevant
tissues of food producing animals. The tolerance is the tissue
concentration below, which a marker residue for the drug or
chemical must fall in the target tissue before that animal edible
tissues are considered safe for human consumption. Tolerances are
established based on extensive toxicological studies of potential
hazards of consumption to human.
Keywords: Antibiotic,
Residues, Global Health, Hazard, Meat, Milk, Egg, Drug, Animals,
Human, Toxicology, Treatment, Withholding period.
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