Abstract
Uncontrolled use of drugs both in humans and animals coupled with environmental contamination exacerbate the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. This paper assessed the drivers of antimicrobial use and resistance in poultry and domestic pig farming and the environment. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to collect information regarding demographic characteristics, knowledge, practices, attitudes, and perceptions of the drivers of antimicrobial use and resistance in animal farming and the environment. We found a higher proportion of usage of veterinary antimicrobials for prophylactic purposes (87.6%) in animal farming, than for therapeutic purposes (80.5%). The degree of farming experience was significantly (p < 0.05) related to the knowledge on the source of antimicrobial use, methods used in disease diagnosis, access to veterinary services, stocking of antimicrobials at home, and presence of agriculture activities that involve the use of manure. Uncontrolled disposal of wastes from households, disposal of human and veterinary drugs, and weak implementation of the legal framework was identified as the major contributors to the environment. The high usage of veterinary antimicrobials and the environmental contamination identified requires multisectoral interventions, as well as a review of government strategies, policies, and regulations on antimicrobial use.
Highlights
In Tanzania, the increased demand for short-cycle animal stocks such as poultry and domestic pigs has led to intensive animal production of these animals [1,2,3,4]
The objective of this study was to assess the drivers of antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) including the knowledge, attitudes, and practices in poultry and domestic pig farming communities in the Msimbazi River basin, the most densely populated area in Tanzania
We found many farmers to be aware of the withdrawal period, but most of them were not implementing it for several reasons including (i) economic loss (ii) regulatory bodies in Tanzania have not yet set withdrawal periods for veterinary drugs and farmers to rely, primarily, only on veterinary drug sellers
Summary
In Tanzania, the increased demand for short-cycle animal stocks such as poultry and domestic pigs has led to intensive animal production of these animals [1,2,3,4]. The annual chicken meat and domestic pig production was expected to increase from 130,000 tonnes in 2017 to 465,600 tonnes in 2020 and from 22,000 in 2017 to 37,200 tons in 2022, respectively [7] This increase has been attributed to a number of factors including increasing urbanization rate and increased trade of live animals and animal products [4]. Over the counter sale of antimicrobial agents is widespread in low-income areas [19,20] This situation is compounded by a lack of coordinated animal surveillance systems, weak enforcement of food safety regulations, lack of basic knowledge on AMU and resistance among the livestock keepers, and infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies in animal production [14,16,21,22]
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