ANTHELMINTICS are drugs that are effective against tapeworms, liver flukes, round worms, and other internal animal parasites – known as the helminthic infections. The use of anthelmintic drugs can improve animal health and so boost livestock production, but regulatory agencies demand monitoring to prevent residues being passed into the human food chain.
The Randox EV3770 is a new multi-analyte testing array used with Biochip array technology and Evidence Investigator to test for a variety of anthelmintics. The test menu on the EV3770 platform includes Amino–benzimidazoles, Avermectins, Benzimidazoles, Levamisole, Moxidectin, Thiabendazole, and Triclabendazole.
Randox says the array can detect 25 analytes in total, including parent and metabolite forms of the most frequently-abused anthelmintics. These include albendazole sulphoxide and albendazole – two aminosulphones that are the main residues detected in tissues. The generic Avermectin biochip can detect residues of Ivermectin, Abamectin, Doramectin, Emamectin benzoate and Eprimomectin, all or some of which have been noted as marker residues in food by the European Union, Codex, Canada, and the USA.
Limits of detection in milk are just 0.05–3ppb, and in beef 0.15 – 6.5ppb, so compliance with most regulatory tolerance requirements should be achievable.