An inter-laboratory validation of a multiplex dipstick assay for four classes of antibiotics in honey

Anal Bioanal Chem. 2013 Sep;405(24):7875-84. doi: 10.1007/s00216-013-7070-3. Epub 2013 Jul 3.

Abstract

In this paper, we report the inter-laboratory validation (ILV) of a recently developed indirect competitive multiplex dipstick (Bee4sensor®) which is capable of the simultaneous detection of residues of some of the most frequently detected antibiotic residues in honey: sulfonamides, tylosin, fluoroquinolones and chloramphenicol. The multi-sensor dipstick can be interpreted via visual observation or by an instrumental measurement of four test lines. Statistical analysis of the ILV data demonstrated that the multi-sensor can reliably detect the presence of sulfathiazole at 25 μg kg(-1) and tylosin at 10 μg kg(-1), which fully meet the 'recommended concentrations' of the EU. Ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol can be detected at 25 and 5 μg kg(-1) in honey, respectively. Whilst the concentration for chloramphenicol is above the EU minimum required performance limit of 0.3 μg kg(-1), this part of the multiplex test may still be of use to both the industry and enforcement authorities, to provide an early warning of contaminated honey. The estimated false-negative and false-positive rates for this easy-to-use and robust assay were less than 5%.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / analysis*
  • Bees
  • Biological Assay / standards*
  • Drug Residues / analysis*
  • Honey / analysis*
  • Observer Variation

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents