Evaluation of Ivermectin residues in beef: comparative study between Bos taurus, Bos indicus and their crosses

• Grant number: 22/01491-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: André Tadeu Gotardo
• Grantee: Ana Rita Oprini Maramarque
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil has the largest commercial cattle herd in the world, exporting meat and its by-products to several countries, contributing significantly to the country's economy. The quality of the final product is dependent on a chain that involves herd management to obtain the final product at the consumer's table. Sanitary issues are extremely important and resolved through the use of programs focused on animal health and food safety, which include the use of preventive drugs. The use of these drugs in animals destined for food production raises concern, both on the part of the consumer, with the presence of residues, and on the part of the market, with possible embargoes on Brazilian meat for non-compliance with the maximum residue limits (MRL). In Brazil, the largest share of veterinary drugs used in beef cattle is part of the antiparasitic class. Avermectins represent the main group, especially ivermectin, with a broad spectrum and time of action, in addition to a high safety margin. However, the withdrawal periods for drug formulations of ivermectin were established from studies of residue depletion with European breeds (Bos taurus), leaving questions about the dynamics of depletion of this endectocide in cattle of Indian origin (Bos indicus) and animals half blood, categories that represent 80% of the Brazilian bovine herd. Thus, obtaining data obtained in a study conducted with animals of both origins, as well as their crosses, generates reliability, and is essential both in the context of programs to monitor residue levels in food for the protection of public health and for the elimination of technical barriers in trade relations between countries. (AU)