Abstract

A total of 120 milch cows reared in organized and unorganized sectors were screened for the presence of antibiotic residues in milk at Bangalore Rural, Kolar and Chickballapur districts by non-probability sampling. Epidemiological data with respect to average daily milk production, stage of lactation, milking hygiene, history of drug administration, class of antibiotic administered and route of administration were collected from the animals under study. A total of 102 animals with antibiotic residues in milk had a history of antibiotic administration. Beta-lactam antibiotic was found to be the most common class antibiotic administered and a combination of both parenteral and intramammary route was the most common route responsible for the excretion of antibiotic in milk. Milk samples collected were screened for the presence of antibiotic residues by three methods namely Microbial Drug Residue Test (MDRT), Microbiological method and ELISA.

Keywords : Cattle Milk, Epidemiological data, Beta-lactam, Parenteral and intramammary route