Abstract
Many of the antibiotics employed in animal production also serve as essential medicines for use in humans. However, only a handful of studies address antibiotic use in animal husbandry in Ghana. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of essential antibiotics in poultry production in Ghana and to assess factors influencing farmers’ choice of antibiotics for use on their farms. A cross-sectional survey using questionnaires and semistructured interviews was conducted among 400 poultry farms in the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate correlations between farm variables and the dependency of antibiotic use on internal and external farm characteristics. Farmers reported the use of 35 different antimicrobial agents for management of conditions such as Newcastle, fowl pox, coccidiosis, and coryza. From these agents, 20 essential antibiotics belonging to 10 antibiotic classes were extracted. Frequently employed antibiotics were tetracyclines (24.17%), aminoglycosides (17.87%), penicillins (16.51%) and fluoroquinolones (10.55%). Only 63% of the farms completed recommended antibiotic course durations, 58% reported following recommended withdrawal periods and 88% sought veterinary advice before administration of antibiotics. Farmers had easy access to antibiotics and antibiotic-related information from veterinary offices, vet-chemical shops and mobile salesmen. Correlation analysis showed farm activities such as frequency of change of bedding material, disinfectant use and seeking expert advice correlated significantly with size and age. The use of antibiotic-containing agents was observed to be dependent on internal factors such as size, presence of other livestock on the farm and infections. External factors such as easy access to antibiotics also influenced farmers’ use of antibiotics. These findings call for stricter regulations on access to and use of antibiotics on poultry farms in Ghana.
Highlights
IntroductionThe agricultural sector in Ghana employs close to 55% of the total workforce of the country’s population and this accounts for about 40% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the livestock industry (cattle, goats, grasscutters, sheep, pigs and poultry) forming about 6% of the sector [1,2]
The agricultural sector in Ghana employs close to 55% of the total workforce of the country’s population and this accounts for about 40% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the livestock industry forming about 6% of the sector [1,2]
A pilot study was carried out by administering questionnaires to 25 poultry farms in and around Kumasi, the capital town of the Ashanti region, Ghana, after which the validated questionnaires were administered to 400 poultry farms in the selected regions (Selection was done using snowball sampling and information obtained from the Veterinary division of Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana) between June 2012 and July 2013
Summary
The agricultural sector in Ghana employs close to 55% of the total workforce of the country’s population and this accounts for about 40% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the livestock industry (cattle, goats, grasscutters, sheep, pigs and poultry) forming about 6% of the sector [1,2]. The livestock industry in Ghana, like most developing countries, is not as well-established with structured management systems, mechanised technology and high level of production as those of developed countries [3]. The poultry industry in Ghana consists of both local and foreign birds with almost each household keeping a few birds for protein supplementation (meat and egg) and for sale [1,4,5,6]. In order to prevent such loses and to enhance the growth of birds, farmers resort to the use of various antibiotics [7]
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