Antibiotic residues in food chains; impact on the environment and human health: A review

Abstract

The antibiotic residues in the food chain are a growing public health concern due to their involvement in the development of antimicrobial resistance, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, hypersensitivity, bone marrow suppression, and disruption of gut microbiota. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics for the treatment of diseases and improved animal production results in the deposition of these residues in milk, eggs, and meat although their use is not highlighted for the foods consumed by human beings. Moreover, the antibiotics consumed in the clinical settings and animal production are excreted into the environment at a large scale which may adversely disturb the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The matter can become more momentous soon because the production of food animals at an industrial scale will significantly increase the use of antimicrobials. The problem caused by these antibiotic residues in the food chain is two-fold; the direct toxicity to humans and the possibility of the emergence of resistant bacterial strains ultimately leading to the failure of antibiotic therapy. Present article critically analyses the factors contributing to the presence of antibiotic residues in the food chain and their implications and perilous impact on consumers and proposes the possible ways to reduce the antimicrobial residues in the food.