Identification of tylosin photoreaction products and comparison of ELISA and HPLC methods for their detection in water.

Tylosin is a widely used macrolide antibiotic for therapeutics and growth promotion in swine, beef cattle, and poultry production. Through various routes such as manure application, emission, inappropriate disposal, etc., tylosin enters the environment. The fate of tylosin in the environment is not yet fully understood. In this study, two photoreaction products of tylosin in water were identified as isotylosin A alcohol (E,Z) and isotylosin A aldol (E,Z). Tylosin A, B, C, D, isotylosin A alcohol, and isotylosin A aldol were purified, and immunological cross-reactivities of these tylosin-related compounds were tested with a specificity of 26% for tylosin B, 19% for tylosin C, 106% for tylosin D, 121% for isotylosin A alcohol, and 46% for isotylosin A aldol, compared to 100% for tylosin A. Competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for tylosin detection in water was compared with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method by analyzing the same water samples from a study of tylosin dissipation in water. ELISA kits detect the other tylosin-related compounds besides tylosin A, which can result in differences in tylosin determination in water.