The NAT test – screening for antibiotic residues in the tissues of food-producing animals

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infectious diseases not only in humans, but also in animals. As a result of the use of antibiotics in food animals, however, the presence of residues of these drugs in animal tissues is inevitable and poses a potential threat to public health. In order to protect the public health, it is necessary to ensure compliance with maximum residue limits, which are stipulated for each product, and to screen for residues of veterinary drugs in animal products. Screening for residues of veterinary drugs in animal products was introduced in practice soon after the introduction of the antibiotic treatment of infectious diseases in animals. Microbial inhibition tests (MITs) are now commonly used in practice and are the first choice in the context of the monitoring of antibiotic residues in animal products. They are based on inhibition of the growth of bacterial strains in the presence of an inhibitory substance. The Nouws Antibiotic Test (NAT) is, in principle, consistent with other MITs and represents an alternative to the MITs currently used for the detection of residues of antibiotics in the tissues of food-producing animals.