Survey of residual tetracycline antibiotics and sulfa drugs in kidneys of diseased animals in the Aichi Prefecture, Japan (1995-1999).

Animal kidneys were collected in order to survey the incidence of tetracycline (TC) antibiotics and sulfa (SA) drug residues in slaughtered animals that did not pass inspection for human consumption by the Japanese Food Sanitation Law and the Meat Inspection Law at the slaughterhouses in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from April 1995 to March 2000. The kidneys were analyzed by AOAC Official Method 995.09 for TCs and our previously reported liquid chromatographic method for SAs. Among 292 animals (94 cattle and 198 pigs), 106 (36.6%) and 41 (14.0%) contained TCs and SAs, respectively, including chlortetracycline, 59 (20.2%); oxytetracycline, 47 (16.1%); sulfamonomethoxine, 35 (12.0%); sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethoxazole, each 2 (0.7%); and sulfamerazine and sulfisoxazole, each 1 (0.3%). A small number of animals (5 cattle and 9 pigs) contained more than one drug residue. The frequency of residue detections was significantly higher for TCs than SAs in both cattle and pig kidneys (p < 0.001).