Variability in residue concentrations of tilmicosin in cattle muscle

Distribution of Flunixin Residues in Muscles of Dairy Cattle Dosed with Lipopolysaccharide or Saline and Treated with Flunixin by Intravenous or Intramuscular Injection

Twenty dairy cows received flunixin meglumine at 2.2 mg/kg bw, administered once daily by either the intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) route for three consecutive days with either intravenous normal saline (NS) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) providing a balanced design with five animals per group. Cows were sacrificed after a 4 day withdrawal period, and 13 muscle types were collected and assayed for flunixin by LC-MS/MS. After elimination of sample outliers, the main effects of route of administration (IV or IM), treatment (NS or LPS), and tissue type significantly (P < 0.05) affected flunixin residues, with no interaction (P > 0.05). Intramuscular (nonlabel) flunixin administration produced greater (P < 0.05) flunixin residues in muscle than the IV (label) administration, whereas LPS resulted in lower flunixin levels. Differences among the tissue levels indicate it is necessary to specify the tissue to be used for any monitoring of drug levels for consumer protection.

Distribution of penicillin G residues in culled dairy cow muscles: implications for residue monitoring

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets tolerances for veterinary drug residues in muscle but does not specify which type of muscle should be analyzed. To determine if antibiotic residue levels are dependent upon muscle type, seven culled dairy cows were dosed with penicillin G (Pen G) from 1 to 3 days and then sacrificed on day 1, 2, or 5 of withdrawal. A variety (9-15) of muscle samples were collected, along with liver and kidney samples. In addition, corresponding muscle juice samples were prepared. All samples were extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine Pen G levels. Results showed that Pen G residue levels can vary between and within different muscles, although no reproducible pattern was identified between cows or withdrawal times. Muscle juice appeared to be a promising substitute for muscle as a matrix for screening purposes. Because of the potential for variation within muscles, all samples taken need to be large enough to be representative.

Antibiotic residues distribute uniformly in broiler chicken breast muscle tissue

Use of antibiotics by the poultry industry has the potential to produce residues in edible tissues. In order to protect consumers, the U.S. federal government performs extensive evaluations to quantify residues in edible tissues to ensure that concentrations do not exceed the tolerance level. However, in the case of muscle tissue, the regulatory process does not differentiate between different edible muscle types in poultry. Previous studies performed by our laboratory determined higher fluoroquinolone residue concentrations in breast versus thigh muscle. Thus, if thigh tissues were used for residue monitoring, it would not accurately depict the higher concentrations. It is also possible that residue concentrations vary within tissues. To evaluate this possibility, fluoroquinolone antibiotic residues were determined for different breast sections. One hundred sixty chickens were randomly divided into four groups and dosed at 33 days of age with the fluoroquinolone antibiotic, enrofloxacin (Baytril), at either 25 ppm for 3 days, 25 ppm for 7 days, 50 ppm for 3 days, or 50 ppm for 7 days. Breast fillets were collected from each bird (n = 5 birds per day per group) during the dosing and withdrawal period. Each breast was divided into four sections (upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right) that were analyzed as individual samples for determination of fluoroquinolone concentration. Our results indicated no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the levels of enrofloxacin residues between breast sections during the dosing or withdrawal periods. Consequently, samples can be collected from any breast section to evaluate fluoroquinolone residue concentrations during the regulatory monitoring process.

Stability studies of the metabolites of nitrofuran antibiotics during storage and cooking

Nitrofuran antibiotics cannot be used in food production within the European Union because of their potential health risks to consumers. The recent discovery of their widespread use in global food industries and the finding of semicarbazide in baby food as a result of packaging contamination have focused attention on the toxicity and stability of these drugs and their metabolites. The stability of the nitrofuran marker residues 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ), 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidone (AMOZ), 1-aminohydantoin (AHD) and semicarbazide (SEM) were tested. Muscle and liver of nitrofuran treated pigs were cooked by frying, grilling, roasting and microwaving. Between 67 and 100% of the residues remained after cooking, demonstrating that these metabolites are largely resistant to conventional cooking techniques and will continue to pose a health risk. The concentration of metabolites in pig muscle and liver did not drop significantly during 8 months of storage at -20 degrees C. Metabolite stock and working standard solutions in methanol were also stable for 10 months at 4 degrees C. Only a 10 ng ml(-1) solution of SEM showed a small drop in concentration over this extended storage period.

Comparison of a bioassay and a liquid chromatography-fluorescence-mass spectrometry(n) method for the detection of incurred enrofloxacin residues in chicken tissues

Regulatory monitoring for most antibiotic residues in edible poultry tissues is often accomplished with accurate, although expensive and technically demanding, chemical analytical techniques. The purpose of this study is to determine if a simple, inexpensive bioassay could detect fluoroquinolone (FQ) residues in chicken muscle above the FDA established tolerance (300 ppb) comparable to a liquid chromatography-fluorescencemass spectrometry(n) method. To produce incurred enrofloxacin (ENRO) tissues (where ENRO is incorporated into complex tissue matrices) for the method comparison, 40-d-old broilers (mixed sex) were orally dosed through drinking water for 3 d at the FDA-approved dose of ENRO (50 ppm). At the end of each day of the 3-d dosing period and for 3 d postdosing, birds were sacrificed and breast and thigh muscle collected and analyzed. Both methods were able to detect ENRO at and below the tolerance level in the muscle, with limits of detection of 26 ppb (bioassay), 0.1 ppb for ENRO, and 0.5 ppb for the ENRO metabolite, ciprofloxacin (liquid chromatography-fluorescence-mass spectrometry(n)). All samples that had violative levels of antibiotic were detected by the bioassay. These results support the use of this bioassay as a screening method for examining large numbers of samples for regulatory monitoring. Positive samples should then be examined by a more extensive method, such as liquid chromatography-fluorescence-mass spectrometry(n), to provide confirmation of the analyte.