Screening for antimicrobial residues in poultry eggs in Bangladesh using Charm II radio-receptor assay technique following validation

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to screen for the presence of antimicrobial residues in poultry eggs from Bangladesh using the Charm II radio-receptor assay in the absence of expensive confirmatory instrumentation. This was based on cut-off values as set in the validation guidelines according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/808. Fortified eggs spiked with fixed concentrations of doxycycline, erythromycin A, sulphamethazine, and benzylpenicillin were used to determine the cut-off values and detection capabilities (CCβ). Other validation parameters included were applicability, ruggedness, and robustness. A total of 201 egg mix samples from native organic chicken, duck, and commercial farm-raised laying hens (both brown and white eggs) were tested and after analysis 13%, 10%, and 4.5% of the egg mix samples showed positive signals for sulphonamides, macrolides/lincosamides, and tetracyclines, respectively. Presence of multiple drug residues were also suspected in 11 out of 201 egg mix samples.

KEYWORDS:

• Antimicrobials
• residues
• validation
• CCβ
• cut-off
• MRL
• Charm II
• screening

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for providing the Charm II system, relevant kits with consumables and all necessary technical support. We also thank the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) for providing necessary logistics.

Author’s contributions

The corresponding author, A.S.M. Saifullah has contributed in the conception and as well as the design of the study. Darmin Chakma has drafted the article, while Md. Maruf Billah Prince, Md. Hedayetul Islam, Md. Shahabe Uddin Talukder, E. M. Tanvir, Md. Mahamodun Nabi, Chironjit Kumar Shaha, Md. Nazrul Islam, M. A. Mannan and M. Jahurul Islam was involved with the execution of the study. Md. Maruf Billah Prince and Darmin Chakma were involved with acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of the study. A.S.M. Saifullah, Wim Reybroeck and James Sasanya have critically reviewed and agreed on all versions of the article before submission. Wim Reybroeck and A.S.M. Saifullah agreed to submit the article to this journal. A.S.M. Saifullah, the corresponding author agreed to take responsibility and be accountable for the contents of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.