Background: Antibiotic resistance is one of the most concerning public threats, which emerges when bacteria acquire resistance to drugs meant to treat bacteria. Antibiotic resistance can be acquired by the consumption of antibiotic-contaminated meats. This antibiotic residue in meat is the result of antibiotic abuse and overuse in livestock, and it has the potential to spread to humans and the environment.

Objective: To identify the prevalence and concentrations of antibiotics above the maximum residue limit in pork samples.

Materials and Methods: In Bangkok, Thailand, 189 pork samples were randomly obtained from 15 different fresh marketplaces. Then, antibiotic residue detection kits from the Department of Medical Sciences developed by Rodejanarug Pharmaceutical were used to identify different types of antibiotic residues such as penicillin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, gentamicin, neomycin, streptomycin, sulfadimethoxine, erythromycin, and bacitracin, and their concentrations in pork samples.

Results: Antibiotic residues were found in 129 of 189 pork samples or 68%. The amount of drug residues in meat was measured in samples, with residue levels ranging from 250 to 16000 micrograms per kilogram. Taling Chan, Bangkhae, Thawi Watthana, and Pathum Wan districts had the highest detection frequencies at 100%. Antibiotic residue quantities exceeded the maximum residue limit in 121 of the 129 samples tested or 94%.

Conclusion: Antibiotic residues in livestock remain a significant public health problem in Bangkok. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics in animals inevitably put selection pressure on bacterial resistance in food animals raised for human consumption.

Keywords: Food safety; Drug resistance; Pork; antibiotic; Antimicrobial resistance

DOI: 10.35755/jmedassocthai.2022.11.13698

Received 5 September 2022 | Revised 12 September 2022 | Accepted 27 September 2022