I’Screen STREPTO: a rapid, easy and sensitive assay for the detection of streptomycin in honey

Streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin are aminoglycoside antibiotic drugs used in apiculture for the treatment of bacterial brood diseases, e.g. American foulbrood. In Europe, this practice is forbidden. Moreover, streptomycin is increasingly used to treat important fruit-tree diseases such as fireblight and Pseudomonas blossom blast. Contamination of the blossom with high concentrations of antimicrobials implies the risk of a carry-over of residues into the honey. Residues of these antibiotics may lead to a potential hazard to the exposed consumer in terms of toxicity, allergic reaction and the development of bacterial resistance.

A new enzyme immunosorbent assay for the quantitative detection of streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin in honey was developed and validated in Tecna R&D laboratories. The assay is able to detect both aminoglycosides with ³ 100% cross-reactivity.

The assay implementation takes one hour. The sample preparation is based on liquid buffer extraction without any clean up step and specific reagents' requirements. The assay is able to detect 5 mg/kg of streptomycin in honey (the CCb validation was permormed according to the Commission Decision 657/2002 criteria). The accuracy was investigated by analysing incurred raw honey samples and correlating ELISA results to LC/MS analysis: the mean recovery was 112±28%. A Performance Data Sheet of Tecna's in-house validation and the Technical Data Sheet are available upon request.

This new Tecna's prototype is now under beta-testing phase. The first production will be available soon.