Rapid detection of tulathromycin in pure milk and honey with an immunochromatographic test strip

In this paper, we describe the development of a rapid, simple, specific, and sensitive immunochromatographic strip test based on an antibody–antigen reaction for detection of tulathromycin (TULA) in samples of 0.01 M PBS pH 7.4, pure milk and honey. The monoclonal antibodies specifically recognized the corresponding antigens produced in our laboratory. Under optimized conditions, the cut-off limits of the test strips for TULA in 0.01 M PBS pH 7.4 was found to be 2.5 ng/mL. Meanwhile, with simple preparation for detection in pure milk and honey samples, the cut-off limits for TULA were found to be 5 and 10 ng/mL, respectively. Each test can be evaluated in 5 min. In summary, this lateral-flow device provides a sensitive, effective, specific, and rapid method for detection of TULA residues in food matrix.