Abstract
Simple SummaryDrug use is essential to treat diseases in food-producing animals. The most widely used drugs are antiparasitics and antimicrobials. They contribute to guaranteeing good-quality food in sufficient quantity for human consumption. When using veterinary medicines, it is essential to follow the instructions on the package label. Administering the correct dose by the indicated route in the animal species for which the drug is labeled is critical. After a pharmacological treatment is administered to livestock, a period (indicated on the label) must often elapse before the tissues from the treated animals can be consumed by humans. Veterinary drug residues are controlled by taking food samples to verify that drug concentrations do not exceed the permitted limits. This allows authorities to know if the medicine use is correct or if suitable corrective measures should be taken. When label’s directions are not followed, drug residues may appear in food. The residues exceeding the permitted limits established by the authorities can produce unfavorable consequences, mainly on the consumer’s health. The food trade and even the environment can be affected by drug residues in animal tissues. Therefore, the correct use of drugs in livestock is critical, which includes respecting the rules to avoid residues in food for human consumption. Drugs are used in veterinary medicine to prevent or treat animal diseases. When rationally administered to livestock following Good Veterinary Practices (GVP), they greatly contribute to improving the production of food of animal origin. Since humans can be exposed chronically to veterinary drugs through the diet, residues in food are evaluated for effects following chronic exposures. Parameters such as an acceptable daily intake (ADI), the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL), maximum residue limits (MRLs), and the withdrawal periods (WPs) are determined for each drug used in livestock. Drug residues in food exceeding the MRLs usually appear when failing the GVP application. Different factors related either to the treated animal or to the type of drug administration, and even the type of cooking can affect the level of residues in edible tissues. Residues above the MRLs can have a diverse negative impact, mainly on the consumer’s health, and favor antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Drug residue monitoring programmes are crucial to ensure that prohibited or authorized substances do not exceed MRLs. This comprehensive review article addresses different aspects of drug residues in edible tissues produced as food for human consumption and provides relevant information contributing to rational pharmacotherapy in food-producing animals.
Highlights
Infections account for some of the most significant diseases worldwide, both in animals and humans, and are of enormous socioeconomic importance
To integrally assess the topic, this comprehensive review article addresses different aspects of drug residues in edible tissues produced as food for human consumption and provides relevant information contributing to rational pharmacotherapy in food-producing animals
Antibacterial administration to food-producing animals has different purposes: therapeutic use for treating an infectious disease caused by bacteria, metaphylactic use for treating a group of animals when only some animals present symptoms of the disease, prophylactic use when treatment is used as a preventive measure ranging from the socalled “subtherapeutic concentrations” to total therapeutic doses, and growth promoter use based on the use of low doses of antimicrobials in feed or water for an extended period to improve growth and production efficiencies
Summary
Infections account for some of the most significant diseases worldwide, both in animals and humans, and are of enormous socioeconomic importance. The growing world population increasingly demands affordable sources of protein from food animals and animal products, requiring improvements in livestock health care [5]. In this context, it is evident that animal food supply will continue to rely on the use of drug-based therapies. Several adverse effects, such as drug residues in food exceeding safe levels for humans, may appear when GVP standards are not met. Focusing on drug residues in food-producing animals, antibacterial and antiparasitic compounds are among the chemicals with the most outstanding involvement in animal production due to the magnitude of their use. To integrally assess the topic, this comprehensive review article addresses different aspects of drug residues in edible tissues produced as food for human consumption and provides relevant information contributing to rational pharmacotherapy in food-producing animals
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