Chicken Farming Practices and Occurrence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Cameroon

The best way to make money is through the production of poultry, which also supplies human nourishment with protein. Farmers should ensure the quality of the flock by lowering the frequency of diseases to meet the growing demand. However, one of the major challenges facing the poultry sector is a disease. Consumers may experience adverse reactions (allergies, toxicity, carcinogenic effects, and changes in the natural microflora of the intestine) as a result of the presence of veterinary drug residue in chicken meat and eggs. These happen when quantities in edible animal tissues exceed the maximum residual limits established for veterinary medications.

The goal of the current study was to evaluate the techniques of raising chickens and the use of veterinary medications in connection with the presence of antimicrobials in various poultry farms in four regions of Cameroon.

The present study was conducted in four regions of Cameroon, the Center, the Littoral, the West and the South Regions. Each region was divided into three clusters, with each cluster consisting of ten chicken farms. Before administering the questionnaire, the study's purpose was explained to farm owners or employees, and their agreement was sought. Animal treatment days per year (ATD/Y) were used to measure the antimicrobial use per farm. To estimate usage in mg kg^-1 per week, Carrique-Mas et adaptation the formula was used with only minor modifications (Uwc milligrams). Computer software SPSS version 20.0 for Windows was used to analyze the data.

In the four regions, men predominated among the poultry farmers. Male poultry farmers made up 85.71% of the centre population, 100%of the littoral, 93.33% of the west, 92% of the south, and a total of 92.5%. The proportion of female farmers was only 7.5%. The findings showed a strong correlation between farmer traits and educational attainment, professional experience, and farm size. The 120 farms surveyed at the time used a total of 33 different veterinary products with one or two active components. The 22 active compounds that were included in the various formulations belonged to 14 veterinary medication classes. The antibiotics were often utilized as veterinary medications, according to earlier investigations carried out in Cameroon and other nations showed the high usage of veterinary antibiotics in poultry farming.Tetracyclines, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and nitrofurans were found to be regularly utilized antibiotics by farmers, according to the current study. Fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines were reportedly used in 57.1, 53.1 and 46.9% respectively, of the chicken farms in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Tetracycline and sulfonamides are used in 90 and 85% of Tanzanian chicken farms, respectively. The results of the current study showed that the use of veterinary medications in chicken farming continues to pose a severe risk to public health in Cameroon, and that preventive measures must be taken.

The results of the current investigation demonstrated that, even after the avian influenza outbreak, problems persist with the use of veterinary medications in the Centre, Littoral, and West Regions of Cameroon. Additionally, all conditions for the development of consumer risks and veterinary drug resistance were present: the majority of farmers did not adhere to withdrawal periods; several veterinary drugs and antibiotics were used in the absence of clinical disease, and the dosage of veterinary drugs was frequently not following the product's instructions.

JOURNAL REFERENCE

Tatfokeutchatang, F. de P. , I.S.B. Ntsama, M. Djouhoufowe, B. Mafongang, G.M. Nama and G. Kansci, 2022. Chicken farming practices and occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in four Regions of Cameroon. Int. J. Poult. Sci., 21: 73-81.