Over the past few decades, antibiotics have been extensively used in livestock animals and aquaculture as food additives for growth promotion, prevention, or treatment of infectious diseases. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (2012), about 87 % of antibiotics used in livestock animals are for treatment, control, or prevention of infectious disease, and 13 % as food supplements for nutritional purposes to increase growth and productivity (Dipeolu & Alonge, 2002; Donogheu, 2003; Mahgoub et al., 2006; Merideth et al., 1965; Ghasemi et al., 2014). However, one of the drawbacks of excessive antimicrobial drug use is that they accumulate in the tissues and organs of treated animals as residues and eventually become part of the food chain (Mund et al., 2017; Offiah & Adesiyun, 2015). 

Antibiotic residues and their metabolites in livestock and seafood tissues and organs may cause several adverse effects on consumers. They can cause several adverse toxicities, the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and allergies even when used at very low doses (Ghasemi et al., 2014; Kirbis, 2007). These residues result from improper observation of an antibiotic's withdrawal period. Even at very low doses, the residues can still cause several adverse effects for consumers (Kirbis et al., 2007). Exposure to these antibiotic residues impacts topics on human health, which include the development of drug-resistant pathogens, drug hypersensitivity, carcinogenic effects, disruption of the normal intestinal flora, mutagenic effects, teratogenic effects, and other effects (Prajwalet al. l, 2017). 

 Detecting antibiotic residue is essential to avoid unsafe levels in meat and seafood products. Hence, this study will endeavor to detect the presence of antibiotic residues in various seafoods, pork, chicken, and eggs sold in the City of Batac through microbiological methods using a plate test (FPT). Four plate test (FPT) was first established by the European Union (EU) to protect the health of customers and to ensure that the food of animal origin produced is safe to eat (Tang & Gillevet, 2003). 

 In response to growing public concern over the development of drug-resistant bacteria and food safety concerns about the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, this study will be conducted to detect the presence of antibacterial residues in seafood sold in the public market in the City of Batac, Ilocos Norte 

Publication

Policy Brief