Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Of Broiler Chicken Farmers On Antibiotic Use And Residues In Blantyre, Malawi

Abstract

Antibiotics are used in livestock farming for treatment, disease prevention, growth promotion, preventing outbreaks, and controlling disease outbreaks. Antibiotic use has become more common among farmers due to the high demand for poultry products. Across cross-sectional quantitative survey across ten urban and peri-urban areas of Blantyre was undertaken amongst 50 small, medium, and large-scale broiler farmers. The study’s objectives were to assess farmers' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) on antibiotic use in broiler production, analyze antibiotic residues in chicken meat samples, and examine correlations between farmers' KAP on the use of antibiotics and antibiotics residue accumulation. 40 meat samples were collected among the farmers and analyzed for ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin, and trimethoprim residues. To evaluate the farmer's KAP on antibiotic use a pretested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data through face-to-face interviews. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and chi-square tests were used to determine the association. Statistical significance was determined using a p-value of less than 0.05. All the farmers administered antibiotics to their flocks, and 46% (23/50) of them claimed to use antibiotics to treat any disease. 62% (31/50) of farmers have never attended any training on antibiotic use. 58% (29/50) of farmers had never heard of AMR. 66% (33/50) follow recommendations from other farmers. 82% (41/50) of farmers adhere to withdrawal periods, and 38% of farmers reported using antibiotics for a longer period in sick chickens. The High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) screening showed that amoxicillin represents the highest residue percentage (92.5%), trimethoprim (32.5%), ciprofloxacin (10%), and least sulfamethoxazole (2.5%). Contaminated samples were higher, lower, and least in commercial, medium, and small-scale broiler management systems respectively. Amoxicillin residue ranged from 0.058926 - 5.138996 μg/kg, trimethoprim was 0.33909 – 3.25580 μg/g, sulfamethoxazole was 0.058926 - 5.138996 μg/g and ciprofloxacin was ND - 0.956627 μg/g. These residue levels were below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) recommended limit according to the European Union (EC). This study revealed that chicken samples collected from broiler farmers from urban and peri-urban areas of Blantyre contain antibiotic residues. Therefore, it is important to monitor antibiotic use in broiler chickens to ensure that residue levels remain below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) and to prevent the potential development of antibiotic resistance.