Antibiotic use and practices in commercial poultry laying hens in Ogun State Nigeria

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 human
health. 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.

Full text

■ INTRODUCTION
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). Rapidly 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 poul-
try industry has contributed to the economic growth and assumed
greater importance in improving employment opportunity and ani-
mal food production (Adebayo and Adeola, 2005).
Antibiotics play a significant role in controlling infectious diseases.
The past few decades, however, have witnessed a steady increase in
the number and diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, rendering
some bacterial infections virtually untreatable (Hurd et al., 2004).
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 therapeu-
tic 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).
■ SANTÉ ANIMALE ET ÉPIDÉMIOLOGIE
41
Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, 2016, 69 (1) : 41-45
Antibiotic use and practices
in commercial poultry laying hens
in Ogun State Nigeria
Oluwawemimo O. Adebowale1* Olanike K. Adeyemo2
Olajoju Awoyomi1 Racheal Dada1 Oluseyi Adebowale3
Summary
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 car-
ried 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 infor-
mation 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 therapeu-
tics (<15%). Gentamicin (76.7%) was the most used, followed by tetracycline
(64.1%), enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (57.3%), furazolidone (49.5%), strep-
tomycin (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%) farm-
ers 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 human
health. 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.
■
How to cite this article: Adebowale O.O., Adeyemo O.K., Awoyomi O., Dada R., Adebowale O., 2016.
Antibiotic use and practices in commercial poultry
laying hens in Ogun State Nigeria. Rev. Elev. Med. Vet.
Pays Trop., 69 (1): 41-45
1. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Reproduction, College of Veterinary
Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
2. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of
Ibadan, Nigeria.
3. Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of
Ibadan, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author
Tel.: +234 (0)90 85 60 80 43
Email: oluwawemimo1@yahoo.com
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords
Poultry, layer chicken, resistance to
antibiotics, antibiotic residues, farm
manager, Nigeria
Accepted: 16 February 2016
Published: 4 July 2016

■ SANTÉ ANIMALE ET ÉPIDÉMIOLOGIE
Antibiotic use in laying hens in Nigeria
Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, 2016, 69 (1) : 41-45
42
Bacterial diseases are recognized as an important risk factor in poul-
try health management. Every poultry farmer is aware of the risk of
bacterial infections and their subsequent effect on mortalities, pro-
ductivity, and profitability. Consequently, farmers in the tropics spend
more money on control and management of bacterial diseases than on
any other form of poultry diseases. A recent survey in Nigeria esti-
mated that layer farmers spend over 35% of their cost of medication
on treating bacterial diseases up to the end of lay (Adejoro, 2007).
Antibiotic resistance translates into costs of about 75 million US$
to medicate 40 million commercial layers in Nigeria to end of lay.
Accordingly, this has led farmers to the inappropriate use and han-
dling of antibiotics. The persistent use of antibiotics is suspected to be
the major cause of antibiotic resistance in man and animal (Adejoro,
2007). The overall relationship between drug use and resistance is
well established and based on laboratory, cross-sectional, case-con-
trol and prospective studies (Olonitola et al., 2015). Also, self-medi-
cation with antibiotics, use of human antibiotics in food animals and
non-regulated prescriptions are increasingly alarming and may have
contributed to antibiotic resistance scourge in the poultry industry in
Nigeria.
Furthermore, the rationale for prophylaxis stems from the fact that
antibiotic is more efficient when used for prevention rather than
for therapeutics (Gustafson and Bowen, 1997). However, misuse of
antimicrobials may lead to carryover of residues in animal products,
which may result in detrimental effects on consumers and public
health in general (Anderson et al., 2003; Cheng et al., 2012; FAO,
2010). Measures to minimize and contain resistance are thus essen-
tial to ensure the continued availability and efficacy of veterinary
and human antimicrobial drugs. Containment of antibiotic resistance
depends on the responsible use of antibiotics, which prompted us to
investigate the commonly used antibiotics and farmers’ awareness
and practices to antibiotic usage.
■ MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study location
This study was conducted from March to July 2011 in Ogun State,
Nigeria, which holds the largest concentration of commercial laying
poultry in the country. This State is located in the southeast of Nige-
ria, at 3° 19’ 65” E and 7° 09’ 77” N, at an elevation of 51.5 meters,
and a total land area of 16,762 km
2
. Ogun State, also known as the
Gateway State, shares an international border with Benin in the west,
and interstate boundaries with Oyo in the north, Lagos in the south
and Ondo in the east.
Study design and poultry farm selection
The target population was commercial poultry farms with a popula-
tion of 200 or more laying hens. Commercial laying-hen farms were
selected for study, as they constitute over 89% of poultry production
in the study area, whereas broiler farms account for only 2.2%. In
addition, laying hens are more lucrative and produce all year around.
A list of 200 poultry farms in Ogun State, from which 106 were ini-
tially randomly selected for this study, was obtained from the Minis-
try of Agriculture. In cases where farms were not reachable because
of lack of addresses, distance or unwillingness to participate, they
were conveniently replaced with other farms. Eventually, 103 farms
participated in the survey. We only sampled 103 farms because of
logistics and because most farms were located in rural communities
with or without addresses, and locating them was difficult. One of
the farmers refused to participate because of the lack of feedback and
benefits from past studies in which he had been involved.
A farm manager questionnaire was designed and pretested on a small
sample of 10 commercial laying-hen farms outside Ogun State to
detect any flaws in the wording, sequencing of the questions and con-
sistency. The internal validation of the questionnaire was done using
Cronbach’s alpha (test for reliability = 0.7), which ranges from r = 0
to 1, where r = 0.7 or greater is considered as sufficiently reliable
(Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). The questionnaire was not however
re-pretested to ensure repeatability of respondents’ responses.
The questionnaire consisted of a brief introduction, which explained
the purpose of the questionnaire, the importance of the respondent’s
participation and a statement guaranteeing confidentially. The rest
comprised questions to gather information on the i) socioeconomic
characteristics of the farm owners/managers, ii) types of antibiotics
commonly used, iii) frequency and purpose of use, iv) awareness of
poultry farmers on the use of antibiotics and associated problems,
and v) sources and appropriate channel of information on antibiotic
usage. The questionnaire was administered to either farm owners or
managers by two of the authors and filled in by the respondents. The
majority of the respondents were well educated. On the other hand,
the few farmers who were uneducated were assisted with filling in the
questionnaire. All questions were closed-ended as respondents were
given options to select.
Data analysis
Data were processed with Microsoft Excel 2007 and analyzed as
descriptive statistics. All graphic presentations were performed with
Graphpad prism 6.0. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were
determined using Graphpad Quickcalcs.
■ RESULTS
Poultry characteristics
Major strains of layers raised in the study area included Nera Brown,
Black Haco, Lohmann brown and Issa brown. The flock size of the
farms studied ranged from 500 to 50,000 birds.
Farmers’ socio-economic characteristics
The results showed that among the respondents 74 (71.8%) were men
and 15 (14.6%) were women. With regard to the level of education
73 (70.9%) had attended the university or an equivalent establish-
ment, 13 (12.6%) had a high school level and 14 (13.6%) no formal
education.
Antibiotics commonly used by laying-hen farmers
The choice and commonly used antibiotics among farmers were
investigated. All respondents recruited for the study had specified the
use of antibiotics for their farm poultry production. Antibiotics used
among farmers included a whole range of different classes. How-
ever, farmers’ preference of antibiotics was, in the following, order
gentamicin 79 (76.7%), tetracycline 66 (64.1%), enrofloxacin and
ciprofloxacin 59 (57.3%), furazolidone 51 (49.5%), streptomycin 48
(46.6%), furaltadone 45 (43.7%), chloramphenicol 43 (41.7%), penicil-
lin 26 (25.2%), erythromycin 25 (24.3%), and nalidixic acid 12 (11.7%)
(Figure 1). Out of 103 farmers interviewed, 20.4% used tetracyclines
always, whereas nalidixic acid was never used by 85.4%. Gentamicin
was a common antibiotic occasionally used by 61 (59.2%) farmers
(Table I). The purpose of use of antibiotics was mainly prophylactic
(> 60%) and less frequently therapeutic (< 15 %) (Figure 2).
Antibiotic administration in poultry
Seventy-five poultry farmers believed that veterinary prescriptions
were not necessary because of long years of experience in the poul-
try business. However, 81 (78.6%, 95% CI, 69.7–85.5) agreed that

Utilisation des antibiotiques chez les pondeuses au Nigeria
43
Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, 2016, 69 (1) : 41-45
antibiotics used in poultry should be regulated and used when pre-
scribed by veterinarians only. When asked if antibiotics could be dis-
continued when clinical signs of infection subside, 53 (51.5%, 95%
CI, 41.9–60.8) agreed this could be done. It was also observed that 67
(65.0%, 95% CI, 55.4–73.5) agreed it was always advisable to admin-
ister antibiotics regularly to prevent diseases outbreak on the farm.
Moreover, 72 (69.9%, 95% CI, 60.4–77.9) disagreed with the use of
higher doses of antibiotics to enhance effectiveness. Nearly 50%
agreed that antibiotics used in humans could be applied in poultry
disease treatment.
Awareness of associated problems
Concerning associated problems encountered with misuse of anti-
biotics, 82 (79.6%, 95% CI, 70.7–86.3) farmers were aware that
improper diagnosis of the disease can lead to antibiotic resistance.
Likewise, 70 (68.0%, 95% CI, 58.4–76.2) knew that antibiotic resist-
ance is the ability of bacteria to resist the effect of antibiotics. On the
other hand 73 (70.9%, 95% CI, 61.6–78.8) were not aware that misuse
of antibiotics in animals poses a serious risk to human health. Data
also showed that farmers felt that the public could consume eggs from
hens receiving antibiotic treatment and that it would be a major loss
for them if they were asked to dispose of such eggs. We observed
that 72 (69.9%, 95% CI 60.4–77.9) of the farmers lacked awareness
of antibiotic residue. Many farmers 69 (67.0%, 95% CI, 59.4–75.3)
however acknowledged that there may be associated environmental
problems with improper disposal of antibiotics.
Source of information on antibiotic use
Figure 3 shows the different sources of information available to farm-
ers on antibiotic use, and issues associated with misuse, for instance
antibiotic resistance in the poultry industry. Figure 4 identifies the
three main sources used by the farmers, i.e. seminars/workshops
for 75 of them (72.8%), veterinary officers for 72 (69.9%), and other
farmers for 66 (64.1%).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Yes
No
Figure 1: Antibiotics used by laying-hen farmers in Ogun State,
Nigeria.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Yes
No
No response
0
Figure 3: Sources of information on antibiotic use in laying hens
available to farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Appropriate
Inappropriate
I don't know
No response
0
Figure 4: Farmers’ preferred information sources for antibiotic
awareness and use in laying hens in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Figure 2: Farmers’ objectives when using antibiotics in laying
hens in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Antibiotic type Number of farms (%)
Always Occasionally Never
Penicillin 8 (7.8) 21 (20.4) 74 (71.8)
Gentamicin 16 (15.5) 61 (59.2) 26 (25.2)
Enrofloxacin/
ciprofloxacin 15 (14.6) 47 (45.6) 41 (39.8)
Streptomycin 11 (10.7) 40 (38.8) 52 (50.5)
Tetracyclines 21 (20.4) 48 (46.6) 34 (33.0)
Erythromycin 12 (11.7) 15 (14.6) 76 (73.8)
Chloramphenicol 9 (8.7) 35 (34.0) 59 (57.3)
Nalixidic acid 8 (7.8) 7 (6.8) 88 (85.4)
Furazolidone 7 (6.8) 39 (37.9) 57 (55.3)
Furataldone 10 (9.7) 33 (32.0) 60 (58.3)
Table I
Types of antibiotics and frequency of their use in
laying-hen farms in Ogun State, Nigeria

■ SANTÉ ANIMALE ET ÉPIDÉMIOLOGIE
Antibiotic use in laying hens in Nigeria
Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, 2016, 69 (1) : 41-45
44
study area. For instance, poultry were more vulnerable to salmonel-
losis, collibacillosis, fowl cholera, infectious bronchitis, coccidiosis,
and Newcastle and Gumboro diseases, which may cause high mor-
tality or morbidity, and huge economic losses (Kabir et al., 2004). To
prevent or reduce the impact of these diseases poultry farmers tend
to abuse indiscriminately antibiotics. Additionally, the predisposition
to rely on personal experience sometimes leads farmers to use these
drugs indiscriminately, and makes them unaware of the need to con-
sult veterinarians, whom they all see when all obtainable means of
treatment have been tried with no effect. Furthermore, the lack of
hygiene and sanitary measures, the inadequacies in management and
animal husbandry, and biosecurity practices may also contribute to
the high use of antibiotics to prevent disease outbreaks. These short-
comings predispose birds to stress, susceptibility to infections and
high pathogen transmission dynamics. To curb the extensive use of
antibiotics in sub-therapeutic doses, probiotics in animal feeds and
drinks have been encouraged. Probiotics are safe, and reduce intesti-
nal infections and resistance to antibiotics (Lutful Kabir, 2010).
Farmers’ main preferred source of information on antibiotic use was
through seminars. The choice may have resulted from the fact that
the poultry farmers’ association in Ogun State holds regular meetings
which encourage group talks on issues concerning the poultry indus-
try or various challenges. We thus suggest this could be an appropri-
ate medium with the support of government veterinarians to reduce
antibiotic misuse in food animals in Nigeria. In addition, farmers
agreed on the need for a policy regulating antibiotics prescription
and administration by veterinarians. Along with seminars, veterinary
extension services were found to be most useful for information dis-
semination on antibiotic use. This study serves as the basis for the
development and enforcement of policies on antibiotics and banned
drug use in food animals with a view to safeguard public health. An
awareness campaign toward enlightening stakeholders on this topic,
especially through farmers’ preferred sources of information or com-
munication is also recommended.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the Department of Veterinary Public
Health, COLVET, FUNNAB, and Ogun State Ministry of Agricul-
ture, Veterinary Services Department, for their support during this
stu d y.
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■ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Antibiotic usage in farm animals has raised many concerns among
which the potential transfer of antibiotic resistant pathogens from ani-
mals to humans. This transfer has severe health implications includ-
ing treatment failures, which has led to some deaths and increased the
cost of human therapies (Lutful Kabir, 2010). Furthermore, overuse
of antibiotics leads to the occurrence of harmful residues in edible
poultry tissues (meat and eggs) and other animal products (Olatoye
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consequently are detrimental to health when such products are con-
sumed by the public.
The most commonly used antibiotics observed in the present study
were gentamicin, tetracyclines, enrofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. This
data agrees with that of Ogunleye et al. (2008), who reported enro-
floxacin, tetracyclines, gentamicin, streptomycin and furaltadone as
common antibiotics used among poultry farms in Ogun State. Multi-
drug resistance to the listed antibiotics has been reported in poultry
farms in Nigeria, and the studies have attributed this to the uncon-
trolled use of antibiotics among farmers because of a lack of antibi-
otic control policies in the country (Livermore, 2003; Lutful Kabir,
2010). The use of quinolones in poultry is worrisome as this drug is
classified by the World Health Organization as critically important
for treatments of enteric diseases in humans and has been associated
with increased resistance in humans exposed to it from farm animals.
The increased use of this drug has been attributed to several factors
that include its broad-spectrum activity, its easy application in water
and food, and its lack of restrictions (www.soilassociation.org).
In countries such as Australia where this antibiotic is not used in food
animals, cases of resistance to quinolones in farm animals have not
been reported. Cases of antibiotic resistance in humans in Australia
have been reported to be less than 4% (Cheng et al., 2012). Quinolo-
nes are locally manufactured by Nigerian pharmaceutical companies
and distributed to other African countries. However, some of these
companies serve as major distributors of antibiotic for international
manufacturers. The use of banned animal drugs including furazoli-
done and chloramphenicol was still well in practice among poultry
farmers in the study area. Furazolidone is mostly used by farmers
in the treatment of salmonellosis as the drug is commonly called a
‘wonder drug’. Furazolidone and chloramphenicol in food-produc-
ing animals are banned in the United States, United Kingdom and
European Union because of their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and
linkages with the development of aplastic anemia in humans (Berend-
sen et al., 2010; Kabir et al., 2004). Farm owners also administered
antibiotics without veterinary consultation mainly because of the cost
of veterinary services. A study conducted in Nigeria by Geidam et
al. (2012) reported that over 80% farmers admitted having purchased
antibiotics without veterinarian prescriptions, and 60% did not com-
plete drug treatment or followed manufacturer’s instructions. Anti-
biotics are supposed to be a restricted medicine, only handled and
used by trained professionals. However, over the counter antibiotics
are available from pet and human pharmacy stores for farmers’ use as
there are no stringent government regulations guiding prescriptions
for humans and animals in Nigeria.
Results also showed that antibiotics were administered prophylacti-
cally. Most antibiotics used in poultry production in the country are
administered prophylactically in drinking water or incorporated in
feed (Lawal et al., 2015), as it is the case in Vietnam (Carrique-Mas
et al., 2015) and in Uganda (Bashahun and Odoch, 2015). In Nigeria
Ogunleye et al. (2008) reported that seven of the eight farms studied
used between three and seven different antimicrobial agents at differ-
ent times for prophylaxis or treatment purposes. Several reasons may
have contributed to the high prophylactic usage of antibiotics in the

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Résumé
Adebowale O.O., Adeyemo O.K., Awoyomi O., Dada R., Ade-
bowale O. Pratiques d’utilisation des antibiotiques dans les
élevages de poules pondeuses dans l’Etat d’Ogun au Nigeria
La production de volailles occupe une place prépondérante
dans l’économie nigériane. Toutefois, l’utilisation abusive des
antibiotiques par les éleveurs de volailles a entraîné une multi-
résistance et nuit à l’efficacité des traitements antibiotiques dans
l’industrie. Cette étude a été réalisée afin d’évaluer l’utilisation
d’antibiotiques dans les exploitations avicoles commerciales.
Une enquête a été menée à l’aide d’un questionnaire structuré
destiné aux chefs d’exploitation pour obtenir des informations
sur les caractéristiques socio-économiques des propriétaires ou
desdits chefs, les types d’antibiotiques utilisés, la fréquence et la
raison de leur utilisation, la sensibilisation à l’usage des antibio-
tiques et à leurs problèmes associés, et les sources d’information
privilégiées par les éleveurs pour un recours raisonnable aux
antibiotiques. Le niveau d’instruction des interviewés était uni-
versitaire ou équivalent (70,9%), collège ou lycée (12,6%), ou
sans éducation formelle (13,6%). Les antibiotiques étaient utili-
sés principalement en prophylaxie (>60%) et en thérapeutique
(< 15 %). La gentamicine (76,7 %) était l’antibiotique le plus
utilisé, venaient ensuite la tétracycline (64,1%), l’enrofloxacine
et la ciprofloxacine (57,3%), la furazolidone (49,5 %), la strep-
tomycine (46,6%), la furaltadone (43,7 %), le chloramphénicol
(41,7 %), la pénicilline (25,2 %), l’érythromycine (24,3%), et
l’acide nalidixique (11,7%). Environ la moitié des exploitations
agricoles utilisaient les produits interdits que sont la furazolidone
et le chloramphénicol. Au total 82 (79,6%) éleveurs savaient
que l’utilisation aléatoire d’antibiotiques dans le traitement de
maladies incorrectement diagnostiquées pouvait conduire à
la résistance aux antibiotiques. Cependant, 73 (70,9 %) étaient
moins informés sur le fait qu’un mauvais usage des antibiotiques
chez les animaux constitue une grave menace en santé humaine.
Les antibiotiques n’étaient pas utilisés avec prudence par les pro-
ducteurs de volailles. Le manque de sensibilisation de ces der-
niers à cette situation serait un facteur qui y contribuerait. Les
résultats de cette enquête devraient permettre d’élaborer des
politiques pertinentes pour établir un contrôle de l’utilisation des
antibiotiques dans les élevages de volailles au Nigeria.
Mots-clés: volaille, poule pondeuse, résistance aux antibio-
tiques, résidus d’antibiotiques, chef d’exploitation, Nigeria
Resumen
Adebowale O.O., Adeyemo O.K., Awoyomi O., Dada R., Ade-
bowale O. Uso y prácticas de antibióticos en gallinas ponedo-
ras comerciales en el estado de Ogun Nigeria
La producción avícola contribuye en gran medida a la eco-
nomía nigeriana. Sin embargo, el mal uso de antibióticos por
parte de los avicultores ha llevado a la resistencia a múltiples
drogas e impide la eficacia de los tratamientos con antibióti-
cos en la industria. Este estudio se realizó con el fin de evaluar
el uso de antibióticos en las granjas avícolas comerciales. Se
llevó a cabo una encuesta mediante un cuestionario estruc-
turado granja-administrador para obtener información sobre
las características socioeconómicas de los dueños/administra-
dores de la granja, los tipos de antibióticos utilizados, su fre-
cuencia y el propósito de su uso, el conocimiento del uso de
antibióticos y las consecuencias asociadas, y las preferencias
de los agricultores en cuanto a los canales de difusión de la
información sobre el uso adecuado de antibióticos. El nivel de
educación de los encuestados fue la universidad (70,9%), la
escuela secundaria (12,6%) o sin educación formal (13,6%).
Los antibióticos se utilizan principalmente para la profilaxis
(> 60%) y terapéutica (< 15%). Gentamicina (76,7%) fue el
más utilizado, seguido por tetraciclina (64,1%), enrofloxacino
y ciprofloxacina (57,3%), furazolidona (49,5%), estreptomicina
(46,6%), furaltadona (43,7%), cloranfenicol (41,7%), penici-
lina (25,2%), eritromicina (24,3%) y ácido nalidíxico (11,7%).
Aproximadamente la mitad de las granjas utilizaron furazo-
lidona prohibida y el cloranfenicol. En total 82 (79,6%) agri-
cultores estaban conscientes de que el uso de antibióticos al
azar para el tratamiento de enfermedades incorrectamente dia-
gnosticadas puede conducir a la resistencia a los antibióticos.
Sin embargo, 73 (70,9%) estaban menos conscientes de que
el mal uso de antibióticos en animales representa una seria
amenaza para la salud humana. Los antibióticos no fueron uti-
lizados con prudencia por los productores de aves de corral, y
la falta de conciencia sobre esta cuestión podría ser un factor
contribuyente. Se prevé que el resultado de esta encuesta ayu-
dará en el desarrollo de políticas pertinentes para el control en
el uso de antibióticos en las granjas avícolas en Nigeria.
Palabras clave: ave de corral, gallina ponedora, resistencia a
los antibióticos, residuos de antibióticos, gestor de empresas
agrarias, Nigeria