Antibiotic Use in Livestock and Residues in Food—A Public Health Threat: A Review
Oana Mărgărita Ghimpețeanu,
Elena Narcisa Pogurschi,
Dana Cătălina Popa,
Nela Dragomir,
Tomița Drăgotoiu,
Oana Diana Mihai,
Carmen Daniela Petcu
Affiliations
Oana Mărgărita Ghimpețeanu
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 050097 Bucharest, Romania
Elena Narcisa Pogurschi
Faculty of Animal Productions Engineering and Management, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Dana Cătălina Popa
Faculty of Animal Productions Engineering and Management, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Nela Dragomir
Faculty of Animal Productions Engineering and Management, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Tomița Drăgotoiu
Faculty of Animal Productions Engineering and Management, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Oana Diana Mihai
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 050097 Bucharest, Romania
Carmen Daniela Petcu
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 050097 Bucharest, Romania
The usage of antibiotics has been, and remains, a topic of utmost importance; on the one hand, for animal breeders, and on the other hand, for food safety. Although many countries have established strict rules for using antibiotics in animal husbandry for the food industry, their misuse and irregularities in compliance with withdrawal periods are still identified. In addition to animal-origin foods that may cause antibiotic residue problems, more and more non-animal-origin foods with this type of non-compliance are identified. In this context, we aim to summarize the available information regarding the presence of antibiotic residues in food products, obtained in various parts of the world, as well as the impact of consumption of food with antibiotic residues on consumer health. We also aim to present the methods of analysis that are currently used to determine antibiotic residues in food, as well as methods that are characterized by the speed of obtaining results or by the possibility of identifying very small amounts of residues.
