Antibiotic use in poultry production; a cross-sectional study in a selected district in Sri Lanka

Introduction: Rampant use of antibiotics in animal husbandry contributes significantly to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. This study determines the antibiotic activity in poultry feed and assesses the knowledge on feeding practices and their potential effects on antimicrobial resistance among poultry farm owners. Methods: Poultry feed available for sale in shops and ready to serve poultry feed and water samples from selected farms in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka were tested for the antibiotic activity using the agar well diffusion method against three control organisms; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Escherichia coli ATCC25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853 and the zone of inhibition around each well was measured. All farm owners were interviewed and basic details regarding the farm such as area, number of animals, water source and the awareness of farm owners regarding antibiotic use in poultry feeds and water source were obtained. Results: No antibiotic activity was detected in commercially available poultry feed in selected shops (5/5) and ready to serve poultry feed in selected farms (18/18). An antibacterial effect was detected in water samples collected from 33.33% (6/18) of farms. Seventy-eight percent (14/18) of farm owners declared that they administer different types of additives containing antibiotics along with drinking water served to animals. Forty-four percent of farm owners believe that usage of antibiotics in poultry is not a good practice and harmful for human health while a similar percentage claim that it is a favorable practice as it benefits them economically. None of the farm owners were aware that the use of antibiotics in poultry can contribute to the increasing antibiotic resistance in the community. Conclusion: Commercially available poultry feeds in shops and ready to serve poultry feeds in farms did not demonstrate any antibiotic activity. However, antibiotic activity was detected in drinking water served to animals due to incorporation of antibiotic containing additives beyond the prevailing guidelines. The awareness of farm owners on antibiotic use in poultry and its effects on the increase of antibiotic resistance in the community is unsatisfactory.