Open AccessAssessment of Farmer’s Knowledge of Antimicrobial Resistance, Their Practice of Antimicrobial Usage and Biosecurity Status of Poultry Farms in Kathmandu Valley and Chitwan District, Nepal
Author(s) -
Sushan Dhakal,
Tulsi Ram Gompo
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
international journal of applied sciences and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2091-2609
DOI - 10.3126/ijasbt.v10i1.41675
Subject(s) - biosecurity , antibiotic resistance , poultry farming , tylosin , veterinary medicine , agriculture , microbiology and biotechnology , environmental health , geography , agricultural science , socioeconomics , medicine , antibiotics , biology , archaeology , pathology , sociology
The poultry industry has transformed into one of the vibrant economic activities in Nepal, contributing to almost 4% of the national GDP. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among the poultry farmers of Kathmandu valley and Chitwan district to assess their knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); their practice of antimicrobial usage and the biosecurity status of their poultry farms. The survey was done to understand the level of knowledge gap among the farmers regarding successful poultry farming with strict biosecurity protocol and minimal use of antibiotics. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared to interview a total of 112 farmers, with 56 respondents from each study sites. Only nineteen percent (11/56) of the farmers from the Kathmandu valley and 16% (9/56) of that of Chitwan district knew about the antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Doxycycline (25.9%, 29/112) was the most used antibiotic followed by Tylosin (21.5%, 24/112), Colistin (18.75%, 21/112), Ciprofloxacin (13.4%, 15/112) and Neomycin (12.5%, 14/112) in both districts.Majority of the surveyed respondents lacked the proper awareness regarding the importance of considerate use of antimicrobial drugs, effectiveness of implementing proper biosecurity protocols in the farms, and the increasing challenge of AMR in the present world scenario. The findings and results of this survey identify the critical gaps in the knowledge of the farmers concerning the day-to-day operations in their poultry business. Immediate strategic actions and road-maps are required to solve the burgeoning problem of AMR considering the imprudent use of antibiotics in the poultry sector.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 10(1): 50-59.