Aquaculture production has nearly tripled in the last two decades, bringing with it a significant increase in the use of
antibiotics. Using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the presence of 47
antibiotics was investigated in U.S. purchased shrimp, salmon, catfish, trout, tilapia, and swai originating from 11 different countries. All samples (n=27) complied with U.S. FDA regulations and five
antibiotics were detected above the limits of detection:
oxytetracycline (in wild shrimp, 7.7ng/g of fresh weight; farmed tilapia, 2.7; farmed salmon, 8.6; farmed trout with spinal
deformities, 3.9), 4-epioxytetracycline (farmed salmon, 4.1),
sulfadimethoxine (farmed shrimp, 0.3),
ormetoprim (farmed salmon, 0.5), and
virginiamycin (farmed salmon marketed as
antibiotic-free, 5.2). A literature review showed that sub-regulatory levels of
antibiotics, as found here, can promote resistance development; publications linking aquaculture to this have increased more than 8-fold from 1991 to 2013. Although this study was limited in size and employed sample pooling, it represents the largest reconnaissance of
antibiotics in U.S. seafood to date, providing data on previously unmonitored
antibiotics and on farmed trout with spinal
deformities. Results indicate low levels of
antibiotic residues and general compliance with U.S. regulations. The potential for development of microbial drug resistance was identified as a key concern and research priority.