Antimicrobial Uses Pattern, Disease Status and Biosecurity Practices of Sonali Broiler Chicken Farms in Selected Areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Sonali poultry farms in seven districts (Chattogram, Dhaka, Kushtia, Pirojpur, Chuadanga, Bogura and Barishal) of Bangladesh from May 2022 to August 2022. The objective of this study was to obtain baseline data from a survey on biosecurity practices and antimicrobial use. The questions were focused on four areas of interest: socioeconomic conditions of farmers and their families, flock composition and housing, diseases and antibiotic using frequency. Variables were recorded for assessing the association with the outcome variable. Finally, data exported to STATA-SE 13 (Stata Corp., Texas, USA) for conducting epidemiological analysis. Descriptive and summary statistics were computed on different aspects of questionnaire data. Univariate fisher’s exact test was applied to identify the potential set of factors (p≤0.2) which was then used for constructing multivariate logistic regression analysis. Backward stepwise logistic regression analysis was applied to fit the model. Results revealed that amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, sulphur drug were the three most used antimicrobials in Sonali poultry farms in Bangladesh. Whereas fluroquinine, tylosin, and metronidazole were less commonly used. Among 210 respondents only 23% had knowledge about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Most of the farm owners (77%) were unaware of the AMR issue. In various prescriber categories, private veterinary doctors held the largest representation. The poultry dealers (39.52%) also placed as a significant group of prescribing antimicrobials in poultry sector in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the position of government doctors (8.57%) was lowest compared to others. Coccidiosis was the main disease of poultry sector in the study areas. In addition, Infectious bursal disease (IBD), Mycoplasmosis, and Newcastle disease (ND) were the frequently found diseases in poultry farms. On the other hand, Fowl cholera and Salmonellosis were less commonly affected in sonali broiler chickens in the study area. The farmers who gave three vaccines (ND, IBD, Marek’s) reported lower mortality (OR= 0.24) than those who used two vaccines (ND, IBD). To limit the inappropriate use of antimicrobials and control the spread of diseases need proper steps in farm management, personal hygiene and creating awareness among the farmers community about the overuse of antibiotics.