BACTERIAL-INHIBITION TESTS USED TO SCREEN FOR ANTIMICROBIAL VETERINARY DRUG RESIDUES IN SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS

Bacterial inhibition tests used to screen milk, tissues, blood, and ur ine for antimicrobial veterinary drug residues must be high volume, qu ick, rugged, inexpensive, and sensitive. Bacterial inhibition tests-su ch as the Swab Test on Premises (STOP), the Calf Antibiotic and Sulfa Test (CAST), the Fast Antibiotic Screen Test (FAST), the Charm Farm Te st (CFT), the Antimicrobial Inhibition Monitor 96 (AIM-96) assay, the German Three Plate Test, the European Union Four Plate Test and the Ne w Dutch Kidney Test-have been used to screen tissues for antimicrobial activity. The CFT and the Brilliant Black Reduction Test (BBRT) also have been used to screen plasma. The Live Animal Swab Test (LAST) was developed to screen urine. This review examines the use and limitation s of these screening tests for regulatory control and avoidance of vet erinary drug residues in meat. The ideal bacterial inhibition test for screening antimicrobial residues in slaughtered animals does not exis t. Each of the current and potential tests has limitations.