A ONE-PLATE MICROBIOLOGICAL SCREENING-TEST FOR ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUE TESTING IN KIDNEY TISSUE AND MEAT - AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE EEC 4-PLATE METHOD

A one-plate screening method is described for the microbiological dete ction of antibiotic residues by growth inhibition of Bacillus subtilis in agar medium, at pH 7, which contains trimethoprim for better detec tion of sulphonamides. beta-Glucuronidase is added to the samples to e nable the detection of chloramphenicol residues. The sensitivity was d etermined for 16 antimicrobial substances frequently used in animal hu sbandry. A comparison was made with the sensitivity of the EEC four-pl ate test and existing maximum residue levels. The method has been used in Belgium for 5 years for the monitoring of antimicrobial residues i n kidney tissue and meat of slaughter animals.