Assessment of Three Antimicrobial Residue Concentrations in Broiler Chicken Droppings as a Potential Risk Factor for Public Health and Environment

Abstract

Tetracyclines, sulfonamides and amphenicols are broad spectrum antimicrobial drugs that are widely used in poultry farming. However, a high proportion of these drugs can be excreted at high concentrations in droppings, even after the end of a therapy course. This work intended to assess and compare concentrations of florfenicol (FF), florfenicol amine (FFa), chlortetracycline (CTC), 4-epi-chlortetracycline (4-epi-CTC), and sulfachloropyridazine (SCP) in broiler chicken droppings. To this end, 70 chickens were housed under controlled environmental conditions, and assigned to experimental groups that were treated with therapeutic doses of either 10% FF, 20% CTC, or 10% SCP. Consequently, we implemented and designed an in-house validation for three analytical methodologies, which allowed us to quantify the concentrations of these three antimicrobial drugs using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our results showed that FF and FFa concentrations were detected in chicken droppings up to day 10 after ceasing treatment, while CTC and 4-epi-CTC were detected up to day 25. As for SCP residues, these were detected up to day 21. Noticeably, CTC showed the longest excretion period, as well as the highest concentrations detected after the end of its administration using therapeutic doses.

Detection of Antimicrobial Residues in Poultry Litter: Monitoring a Risk through a Selective and Sensitive HPLC–MS/MS Method

“…There is a growing concern for the presence of AM residues, and hence, the persistence and risks of these emerging contaminants have been investigated in both poultry droppings and litter [ 16 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. The primary concern is the continuous pressure on bacteria resulting in the selection of microorganisms with genes encoding resistance to AMs [ 35 ].…”

Determination of five antimicrobial families in droppings of therapeutically treated broiler chicken by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

“…Previous studies have analyzed antimicrobial depletion in broiler chicken droppings ( Cornejo et al, 2018 ; Yévenes et al, 2018 ). Yévenes et al (2018) indicate that residues of FF, SCP, CTC and 4-epi-CTC persist in broiler chicken droppings and could be a risk to public health.…”

“…This issue has gained relevance in recent years and different studies have determined the presence of antimicrobial residues in the manure of productive animals and poultry droppings ( Berendsen et al, 2015 ; Yévenes et al, 2018 ). It has also been described that antimicrobials and their metabolites are strongly adsorbed in feces due to chemical interaction with metals and organic substances, forming complexes with soluble organic compounds that remain stable during storage ( Massé et al, 2014 ).…”

“…Different studies have demonstrated the presence of antimicrobial residues in poultry feces ( Slana et al, 2017 ; Berendsen et al, 2018 ; Cornejo et al, 2018 ; Yévenes et al, 2018 ). However, we are not aware of any study that quantify and project the concentrations that may persist in this matrix after the antimicrobial treatment is applied to these animals during the farming process.…”

Evaluation of Antibiotic Dissemination into the Environment and Untreated Animals, by Analysis of Oxytetracycline in Poultry Droppings and Litter

“…The behavior of CTC and 4-epi-CTC, another tetracycline, has been studied in broiler droppings. CTC+4-epi-CTC residues of 179.45 µg kg −1 25 days post the end of treatment were measured [ 41 ]. The samples showed microbial activity and the presence of resistance genes associated with tetracyclines [ 42 ].…”