Chloramphenicol residue levels of marketed farm gate milk in Senegal

•The combination of chloramphenicol with tetracyclines vet drugs was investigated.•The use of prohibited vet drugs in dairy cows was demonstrated.•A contamination of chloramphenicol drug residues in raw milk was studied in Dakar.

The risk of consuming marketed milk containing Chloramphenicol (CAP) residues was investigated by testing 41 dairy milk samples collected at retail outlets of farms at Dakar (Senegal) from March to November 2013. Analysis for CAP residues was performed at the Veterinary Drugs Control Laboratory (LACOMEV) of the Inter-States School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV) of Dakar using reverse-phase HPLC with UV/Visible detection at 278 nm. The results showed that 78.04% of marketed milk samples contained CAP drug residues suggesting that this veterinary drug is used in dairy cows in Senegal even though it is not approved in food producing animals. Investigations on veterinary drugs importations have showed that 82.82% of powders for injectable solution were associated with CAP while this compound was included in 27.32% of other solid tetracycline formulations.Although this pilot study is not representative of the general situation, the findings are alarming and reflect a misuse of antibiotics in dairy farms in Senegal.