Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Antibiotics Usage among Dairy Farmers of Chattogram

Abstract

Antibiotics are commonly used in dairy farms of Bangladesh for treating bacterial diseases. However, frequent misuse of antibiotics results in the development of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A study was carried out to determine dairy farmers' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding antibiotics usage (AMU) in the Chattogram district. A total of 30 dairy farms were selected randomly for the study. Data were collected from the farmers through face-to-face interviews with a pre-structured questionnaire. The study showed that most of the farm owners (53.3%) completed graduation and 83.0% of them knew about antimicrobial resistance. About half (50%) of the farm owners maintained the proper antibiotic withdrawal period. Surprisingly, 24% of the participants thought that antibiotics could be used as growth promoters in the livestock sector. Most of the farm owners (86.7%) fulfilled the course of antibiotics while treating an animal, whereas only 13.3% of farmers stopped using antibiotics as soon as their animals recovered. We found that 70% of the farmers use antibiotics following the veterinarian’s instructions. The findings of this study provide an understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of dairy farmers regarding antibiotic use. Dairy farmers in Bangladesh have a poor level of awareness related to antibiotic usage on their farms. Which creates threats to public health because of the rise in resistant microorganisms. Therefore, it is now very crucial to take action to safeguard future generations from antimicrobial resistance by creating more awareness among dairy farmers.