Egg and poultry processors seeking a workable screening solution for coccidiostats will welcome Randox Food Diagnostics bringing the first multi-analyte screening test to market.

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease with symptoms normally including bloody droppings, weight loss and mortality in young chickens. With the global appetite for poultry meat increasing by 50 per cent since 2000, the pressure on producers is ever increasing. That can lead to over-cramped conditions perfectly suited to the spread of coccidiosis amongst flocks.

To prevent infection, farmers administer prophylactic antiprotozoal coccidiostats in feed, increasing the chances of residues being retained in poultry meat or eggs. To reduce the risk of toxicity to consumers, regulatory authorities set Maximum Residue Limits recommending an appropriate withdrawal period prior to slaughter.

Mariclare McGarrity, Senior Customer Support Scientist said: “The key issue is the range of coccidiostat drugs utilised in the poultry industry. This leaves traditional single-analyte screening ELISA products unsuitable and inefficient.

"However, Randox’s ground-breaking Biochip Array Technology is optimised for multiplex testing, identifying up to 22 different analytes from a single sample. Therefore, it can detect and quantify the whole range of commonly-used coccidiostats throughout the global market.”