Detection of Streptomycin Residues in Sheep Carcasses in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

In general, the Iraqi farmers of breeding and fattening of sheep using a broad-spectrum antibiotics like tetracycline and aminoglycosides family for treatment and prophylaxis without considering to the withdrawal periods of these drugs before slaughtering the animals. The aim of the present study was to determine the residues of streptomycin (member of aminoglycosides group) in sheep meat and edible tissues using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. A total of 88 samples including longissimus dorsi, diaphragmatic muscles, liver and kidney were collected from 22 sheep carcasses slaughtered in Duhok abattoir, Kurdistan, Iraq. The result revealed that streptomycin residues were found in 12 samples (54.5%) of the sheep carcasses distributed as following 36.36 %, 45.45 %, 22.72 % and 50 % of Longissimus dorsi, diaphragm muscle, liver and kidney samples., respectively. The minimal streptomycin concentration in ovine meat samples was 3.001 ppb and the maximum concentration was 690.307 ppb. The results of this study show that sheep meat, which is sold in Dohuk governorate, often contains the residues of antibiotics due to slaughtered animals might have been treated with veterinary drugs and the proper withdrawal period was not respected before slaughtering.