Assessing the prevalence of antimicrobial use among live bird sellers in live bird markets of Kampala and Wakiso district.

Abstract

Live bird markets (LBM) remain a critical link from farm to fork in the poultry value chain. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of antimicrobial use on chicken by Live Bird Sellers (LBS) in LBMs of Kampala and Wakiso districts. The study employed a semi-structured questionnaire to gain insight into the antimicrobial use of chicken by the LBS, to document the drugs used by the LBS as well as assess their knowledge regarding public health risks associated with the treatment of chickens in the market. The cross-sectional survey was carried out in 10 LBMs and a total of 144 LBS were interviewed. Over 81.7% of the LBS used antimicrobials to treat sick chicken in the LBMs. The most common synthetic antimicrobial used was tetracycline followed by chloramphenicol whereas Aloe Vera was the most common natural antimicrobial used by the LBS. The antimicrobials were orally self-administered by the LBS. The majority of the synthetic antimicrobials were purchased from human pharmacies found around the LBMs. Only 35.4% of the interviewed LBS were aware of the risks associated with the treatment of chicken in the market. Our research reveals a noticeable gender-based disparity among the LBS in the treatment of sick chickens within LBMs. The predicting factors for the type of antimicrobials used by the LBS were gender, age, years spent in the market and the number of chickens sold daily. The findings in this study will help in developing strategies to curb the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in LBMs as well as inform the consumers about the practice so that they make informed decisions regarding the purchase of chicken from LBMs.