Discriminate vs. indiscriminate use of tylosin in broiler chickens: impacts on antibiotic residues in edible tissues, growth performance, and hematological parameters
Keywords:
drug residue detection, antimicrobial resistance, therapeutic withdrawal, food safety, veterinary drug monitoring, thin layer chromatographyAbstract
Unregulated antimicrobial application in poultry farming represents a critical public health vulnerability in developing nations like Bangladesh, where improper drug usage promotes chemical residue accumulation in edible tissues and accelerates antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This investigation evaluated the comparative impacts of discriminate (incorporating a withdrawal period) and indiscriminate (omitting a withdrawal period) tylosin administration on tissue residue occurrence, growth traits, and blood parameters in Cobb-500 broiler chickens from January to May 2020. Eighteen day-old chicks were raised for 31 days and randomized on day 16 into three groups (n = 6): Group A (control; no antibiotic), Group B (discriminate; tylosin at 2.5 g/L in drinking water from days 16-22 followed by a withdrawal period), and Group C (indiscriminate; tylosin at 2.5 g/L from days 16-31 without withdrawal). On day 31, blood and tissue samples (liver, kidney, spleen, breast muscle, and thigh muscle) were harvested to screen for tylosin residues via thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and evaluate hematological indices (hemoglobin, total erythrocyte count, and packed cell volume). Broilers in the indiscriminate cohort attained the highest final numerical body weight (1805 ± 2.91 g), followed by the discriminate (1718 ± 3.05 g) and control (1352 ± 3.07 g) groups; though inter-group variations were statistically non-significant (P > 0.05). Active tylosin residues occurred across all target tissues in both medicated groups-with no traces detected in controls-showing markedly higher prevalence in the indiscriminate cohort than the discriminate cohort: liver (100% vs. 83.33%), kidney (100% vs. 50.00%), spleen (83.33% vs. 33.34%), breast muscle (66.66% vs. 16.67%), and thigh muscle (50.00% vs. 16.67%). Hematological parameters displayed a non-significant declining trend as tylosin exposure increased; for example, hemoglobin levels dropped from 7.93 ± 0.16 g/dL (control) to 7.52 ± 0.07 g/dL (discriminate) and 7.12 ± 0.11 g/dL (indiscriminate) (P > 0.05). Overall, continuous tylosin treatment generated widespread residue persistence across all edible tissues, predominantly in hepatic and renal organs, whereas observing the withdrawal window lowered, but did not completely eliminate, detectable residues. Disregarding withdrawal guidelines risks elevating dietary drug exposure for consumers and driving AMR, underscoring the urgent necessity for strict enforcement of withdrawal standards, routine residue monitoring, and responsible pharmaceutical stewardship in commercial poultry operations to safeguard public health.
Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2026, 11(2), 48-58
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