Abstract
Poultry production contributes largely to the Nigerian economy. However, antibiotics misuse by poultry farmers has resulted in multidrug resistance and impeded efficiency of antibiotic treatments in the industry. The study was carried out to assess antibiotic usage in commercial poultry farms. A survey using a structured farm-manager questionnaire was conducted to obtain information on socioeconomic characteristics of the farm owners or managers, the types of antibiotics used, their frequency and purpose of use, the awareness of antibiotics usage and associated consequences, and farmers’ preferred channels of information on prudent antibiotic usage. The respondents’ level of education was university or equivalent (70.9%), high school (12.6%), or no formal education (13.6%). Antibiotics were primarily used for prophylaxis (> 60%) and therapeutics (< 15%). Gentamicin (76.7%) was the most used, followed by tetracycline (64.1%), enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (57.3%), furazolidone (49.5%), streptomycin (46.6%), furaltadone (43.7%), chloramphenicol (41.7%), penicillin (25.2%), erythromycin (24.3%), and nalidixic acid (11.7%). About half of the farms used banned furazolidone and chloramphenicol. In total 82 (79.6%) farmers were aware that the use of random antibiotics in the treatment of improperly diagnosed diseases can lead to antibiotic resistance. However 73 (70.9%) were less aware that antibiotics misuse in animals poses a serious threat to humanhealth. Antibiotics were not prudently used by poultry producers, whose lack of awareness may contribute to the issue. It is anticipated that the results of this survey will assist in developing relevant policies toward controlling antibiotic use in poultry farms in Nigeria.
Highlights
Livestock contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural output and supports the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people worldwide (Carrique-Mas et al, 2015)
All respondents recruited for the study had specified the use of antibiotics for their farm poultry production
Overuse of antibiotics leads to the occurrence of harmful residues in edible poultry tissues and other animal products (Olatoye and Ehinmowo, 2009; Shareef et al, 2009; Lawal et al, 2015), which are detrimental to health when such products are consumed by the public
Summary
Livestock contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural output and supports the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people worldwide (Carrique-Mas et al, 2015). Rising incomes and urbanization, combined with underlying population growth are driving the demand for meat and other animal products in many developing countries (Carrique-Mas et al, 2015). In Nigeria, the poultry industry has contributed to the economic growth and assumed greater importance in improving employment opportunity and animal food production (Adebayo and Adeola, 2005). The cost of resistance associated with the treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria has increased manyfold (Ghosh and Lapara, 2007). The pervasive use of antibiotics for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes is associated with the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, due to selective pressure in favor of resistant bacteria (Ghosh and Lapara, 2007)
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