Habiba, U. E., Khan, A., Mmbaga, E. J., Green, I. R., & Asaduzzaman, M. Use of antibiotics in poultry and poultry farmers-A cross-sectional survey in Pakistan. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1154668.
Habiba, U. E., Khan, A., Mmbaga, E. J., Green, I. R., & Asaduzzaman, M. Use of antibiotics in poultry and poultry farmers-A cross-sectional survey in Pakistan. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1154668.
Habiba, U. E., Khan, A., Mmbaga, E. J., Green, I. R., & Asaduzzaman, M. Use of antibiotics in poultry and poultry farmers-A cross-sectional survey in Pakistan. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1154668.
Habiba, U. E., Khan, A., Mmbaga, E. J., Green, I. R., & Asaduzzaman, M. Use of antibiotics in poultry and poultry farmers-A cross-sectional survey in Pakistan. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1154668.
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to community carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is highly prevalent in the WHO South-East Asia region. One of the major reasons is the misuse of antibiotics in animal farming practices and at community level, which threatens both human and animal health. However, this multifaceted One Health (OH) problem of antibiotic use (ABU) in poultry farms and respective farmers is not well studied in countries like Pakistan. Therefore, we conducted n OH cross-sectional study in rural Punjab to explore the current practices of ABU in poultry and poultry farmers, associated factors, their healthcare-seeking behaviour and biosecurity practices. We found all the participating farmers using antibiotics for poultry, 60% of which were Colistin sulphate and Amoxicillin trihydrate. The significant consumption of antibiotics in poultry farms (60%) and poultry farmers (50%) was without prescription. Most of the farms (85%) had no wastewater drainage system, causing direct shedding of poultry waste and antibiotic residue in the surrounding environment. Lack of farmers’ education, professional farm training and duration of farming experience were the significantly associated factors with ABU and knowledge of AMR. Our study implies the necessity of an integrated OH-AMR policy with the inclusion of farmers’ education, mass awareness, and strict antibiotic usage guidelines.
Keywords
antimicrobial resistance; One Health; poultry; poultry farmers; antibiotic use; Pakistan
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Veterinary Medicine
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
